Pride and Joy
by Firewifesara
Summary: "He knows her dads think she's beautiful, that can be said about most dads. He knows she is a Broadway actress and currently in Beauty and the Beast, he knows that she is single, and perhaps more than anything, he knows he wants to know her." AU Finchel COMPLETE
1. Daughters

**A/N- I'm baaaack! Did you miss me? I can't thank you enough for all the support on twitter for this and my previous stories. You guys rock. Thanks to my ladies, Erica, Allie, and Melanie for being so tolerant of my insanity. Special thanks to Erica, who was a huge help with this behind the scenes. This is an AU story based on the movie 'Because I Said So." I have been writing ahead, so updates should happen regularly and I am happy to report that this is my longest story so far. This is, for the most part, a light hearted tale that will end happily for our favorite couple (spoiler alert). **There may things that make you wonder along the way... that's the idea. If you have read anything else I've written, you know I'm all about a happy ending.****

**Side note: There are a few who don't like my stories or my writing style and that is cool. There are a ton of better writers out there, go read their awesome stories. This is a hobby for me; a way to keep our Finchel alive. There is no need to leave pure hate in my (or anyone elses reviews). Keep it constructive, please. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Glee, it's music, or the characters. I also do not own he movie that this is based off, "Because I Said So." All mistakes (grammar and otherwise) are mine. **

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><p>"Daddy, I did it!"<p>

Finn Hudson smiled at the little girl wiggling her feet on the floor in front of him, proudly showing off her newly tied shoes. "That's great, Booger. I knew you could." He stood from the couch and grabbed the princess backpack resting nearby, holding it in front of the little girl so she could thread her arms through the straps. "You ready to go?"

"Yep!"

Katie Hudson was Finn's pride and joy. Everyday Finn did everything he could to make sure she had the things she needed. It had been just the two of them since Quinn, the girl's mother, walked out on them when Katie was just a baby.

He and Quinn had begun dating shortly after Finn moved to New York City to become a firefighter and two years later Quinn discovered that she was pregnant. After the shock wore off, the two eased into the idea of having a baby together and planned and prepped for the baby's arrival. Soon after Katie was born, however, Quinn had an epic melt down and moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in acting, leaving Finn behind to raise their daughter on his own.

Now, five years later, Finn was comfortable with the life he and Katie created. Being a single father had its challenges, especially with the 12 hour rotating schedule that he worked, but it also had its advantages. He loved getting to spend these little moments with his daughter.

"Are you and Emily still sitting next to each other?"

Katie smiled at him from the doorway, waiting patiently while Finn put on his shoes. "No. Mrs. Taylor moved me so that I can sit by Bradley. He likes to get in trouble."

"That's not good." Finn pulled his pant legs over his boots and stood, taking Katie's hand as they made their way out of the apartment. He hated to think that his little girl was growing up so fast, he was happy to have these moments with her.

"It's not good. She said I can be a good affluence."

They turned the corner and Finn smiled down at the little girl, their hands still swinging between them. "Influence?"

"That's what I said. Affluence."

"Okay. Do you and Emily play at recess?"

Katie nodded enthusiastically, smiling widely. "We meet by the swings and then go down the slide."

"That sounds like fun."

She shrugged, causing Finn to laugh. "It is. She said she was gonna bring her dog to school for show and tell today."

"Oh really? Her dog?" He was skeptical, he honestly didn't think they were allowed to bring pets to show and tell, but kindergarteners weren't always the best at remembering those types of things.

"That's what she said." The little girl turned, eagerly leading her dad down the final block of their morning journey.

"Are you excited to play with Uncle Puck today?"

The five year old looked up, her smile wide. "He said we was gonna pick up some chicks after school today. He said I am a good at helping."

At a time when he really needed them, his brother and best friend really came through. Knowing his schedule well in advance, Finn was able to rotate childcare between Kurt Hummel, his brother, and Noah Puckerman, his longtime best friend. Kurt worked at a magazine and often took the nights that Finn worked at the station, leaving the day ones to Puck.

Unfortunately, that meant that for the several hours a day Katie was with Puck, he was free to corrupt her young mind. Puck may be his best friend and really good with Katie, but he really did lack a filter. Puck seemed to forget that Katie was five and not one of the guys. She listens and repeats things and even when you think she can't hear you. Little girls are seemingly everywhere.

Finn took in a deep breath, resisting the urge to call his best friend an inappropriate name in front of Katie. "I bet you are a great helper, but I thought you wanted to watch your princess movie instead? Uncle Puck likes princess movies." Finn hoped that his deflection would work, knowing that he and Katie had put the movie she had received for her last birthday in her backpack the night before. Finn's parents had sent it to her for her birthday and she insisted on bringing it to school for show and tell.

"He probably does! Good idea, Daddy!" Katie held tight to Finn's hand, swinging them between them as they walked. After a few moments of silence, Katie could no longer contain her curiosity. "Daddy? Why don't we ever pick up chicks?"

Finn's eyes went wide as he scoured his brain for a reply. "Cause, um, well… Daddy already has a chick."

"You do?" The little girl's eyes sparkled as she looked up to Finn, waiting for the details.

Finn smiled down at her and nodded. "I do, her name is Katie."

"Me?" Katie marveled in the new information as they closed in on Puck's apartment. The look of wonder on Katie's face had Finn amused. "I'm a chick?"

The pair turned and walked up the few steps leading to Puck's small apartment. "You are." Katie smiled up at her dad, who returned it before knocking on the door. It wasn't long before it swung open, revealing pajama clad Puck.

"Hey Special K, what's up?" Puck moved aside allowing Finn and Katie to come into the apartment, fist bumping them both as they passed him in the doorway.

"Hey, Uncle Puck! Guess what?"

Puck closed the door and followed the girl into his kitchen, where she was already removing her backpack. "What?"

"I'm a chick!"

"Good to know." Puck fist bumped the little girl again, amused at her early morning confession. He watched as Finn poured her some cereal and started back out to the living room. Puck shook his head, chuckling slightly. "Where does she come up with this stuff?"

"Gee, I don't know. Maybe it's that you told her that you guys were going out to pick up chicks today?" Finn half teasing- half serious tone caught Puck's attention as they moved further from where Katie was happily munching on her cereal.

"Oops."

Finn reached out and smacked Puck on the shoulder. "Yeah, 'oops.' And then she asked why I never take her with me to pick up chicks."

"The kid has a point." Puck ignored the whack to his shoulder and smiled up at his friend. "Why don't you let her help you? She is pretty good at it."

He ran his hand through his hair, frustrated at the unwelcomed turn in the conversation. Finn had learned a long time ago that being a single father made it difficult to find any substantial relationships. Most of them ran for the hills when they found out he had a daughter. "Puck, my life is complicated enough; I don't need a girlfriend right now."

"That's what you keep saying; you can't be alone forever."

Deep down Finn knew that his friend was right. He wasn't avoiding relationships, but he wasn't seeking them out either. Finn knew that any potential relationship would not just be about him, it would need to be about Katie too. Any prospective dates needed to be not only good for him, but for his daughter. "I'm not alone, I have Katie."

"You know what I mean, Finessa." It was Puck's turn to hit Finn. His hand connected with Finn's shoulder, causing him to take a step back.

"We do just fine."

Puck stepped into Finn, amusement lacing his features. Finn was his best friend and a great guy. He didn't deserve what Quinn did to him and Katie, leaving them the way she did. Puck knew that Finn was a bit of a romantic and just because that stuff wasn't for him, doesn't mean he didn't want it for his friend; if that's what he wanted. "You do, just fine. What about when she gets a little older? What are you gonna do when she asks about girl shit, send her to Petunia?"

"She can ask me, I am her father." Finn shrugged, hoping to come off confident. Truth was he was terrified of Katie getting older and asking questions he didn't know the answer to.

"Yeah, that should be interesting."

Finn sighed. There was no way he could get into this anymore this morning he had to get to work. "Just please stop using her to pick up women."

"Fine."

Finn went back to the kitchen and kissed Katie on the head while she ate the cereal. "Booger, I got to get to work." She turned in her seat, hugging him tightly. "Be good for Uncle Puck and have fun at school. I'll see you after work. Love you."

"Bye Daddy, love you too." She turned back to her cereal as Finn left the apartment. "Uncle Puck, I brought my princess movie."

Puck groaned and made his way back to the kitchen. "Hey, Special K, can we not watch that movie today? I was hoping we could watch anything else."

"Daddy says that you love princesses."

He groaned as he stood from the table, abandoning his cereal for more coffee. He was going to need it if he was going to be suckered into watching that stupid princess movie. Again. "I like them in real life."

"You know real princesses?"

Puck smirked as he turned to look at the girl, staring at him in amazement. He didn't know princesses like the ones Katie was referring to, but he did know some women that he referred to as princesses. He would just leave out those details. "Oh yeah. I _know_ princesses."

"Wow."

Puck laughed into his cup of coffee as he sat back down at the table. Finn couldn't get mad at him for this one.

~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~

"I can't believe you are almost 30."

"All grown up."

"Daddy, I'm already grown up." Rachel Berry loved her dads; she loved them a lot. The two men had done everything in their power to get her where she is today, including moving to New York when she was in middle school. They moved their lives four states away so that she would have the best opportunity to make it on Broadway, a dream she's had since she was ten. A dream she was currently living.

Leroy groaned before heavily sipping from his wine glass. "Don't remind me."

"There is no need to be so dramatic Leroy. I was simply pointing out that our little girl is growing up."

Rachel had a standing lunch date with her dads, every Monday the three members of the Berry family would catch up on each other's lives, though only so much could change over the course of a week. Currently, the three of them were enjoying lunch at a small upscale bistro in SOHO where their light and carefree conversation had seemingly turned.

"As you pointed out already, Papa, I'm almost 30; I've grown up."

"Sure, you have a place of your own and a great career, but what about a family? When are you going to settle down?" Rachel groaned at yet another lecture about settling down. Being extremely close to both of her fathers had its advantages; it also had its disadvantages. It always seemed that Hiram and Leroy Berry were losing some of their discretion, while simultaneously becoming more nosey. Despite that, Rachel knew that the men had her best interest at heart. She knew that Hiram, the more serious of the two, wanted her to find someone who was supportive; someone capable of taking care of Rachel, even if she didn't need it. And Leroy only wanted her to find true love; the mushy kind that only really happens in the movies. "It's not like I'm not putting myself out there, you know. I do have a boyfriend."

"Ah yes, how is Darin?"

The clearly disappointed tone coming from her Papa, was less than encouraging. It didn't help that Rachel knew that he knew her boyfriend's name. "His name is Derrick." Rachel rolled her eyes at the men. They had met Derrick a couple times, though they have yet to spend any real time with him. The short times that they had spent with him seemed to be all they needed to for a negative opinion. "We have been dating for three months, Papa."

"Derrick. That's right." Hiram sipped from his wine, smirking into his glass. Rachel knew what he was up to. "How is he?"

Rachel smile, choosing not to engage her father in the way he would like. "He's good. He's working today, though. That's why he couldn't join us for lunch."

Leroy raised an eyebrow. "Isn't that why he couldn't join us last time? He works an awful lot, Peanut."

"He has responsibilities, Daddy." Rachel delicately placed her sandwich on the plate in front of her and wiped at the corners of her mouth. "Didn't you say that you didn't like Casey because he didn't have a job?"

"That boy was a walking disaster." Hiram added.

Rachel thought back to the short time that she was with Casey. It was true that he didn't have a job but there were ways that he made up for it; he was an excellent cook and an even better kisser. Rachel was always able to look past him being a jobless mooch, because of how sweet he was to her; until he asked her to pay some of his bills. But until then, he was a really sweet guy. "He wasn't that bad."

"What about Joe?"

Rachel shook her head; she knew what they were doing. They were trying to get her to admit that Derrick was a less than stellar boyfriend, which may be true, but that was definitely not a conversation to have with your dads. Bringing up Joe was a nice way to do that because Rachel knew how toxic he was. Joe was just plain rude. He had no regard for people's feelings, least of all, Rachel's. The month they spent together was a month too long, in Rachel's opinion. "Can we not talk about Joe?"

"All I'm saying is that you don't have the best track record lately. Be careful with Darin."

She placed her napkin on the table and gritted her teeth slightly. "Derrick," she corrected again, desperately trying not to let them get to her. The nature of her and her father's relationship brought these moments, Rachel knew that; that doesn't mean she like them.

"Sorry. Derrick."

Leroy could sense the playful nature of their questioning had turned and he didn't want that for this lunch today. If Derrick was as bad as he and Hiram suspected, their relationship would peter out on its own. All they could hope for was that Rachel's hurt would be minimized. "Okay, how about a subject change?" Leroy smiled at his husband and turned his attention to Rachel. "How is the show going, any Tony buzz yet?"

"It's been going wonderfully. And you know I won't know anything about the Tony's until April."

Her menacing and playful smile told Leroy that he had done the right thing by changing the subject. "It'll happen. This is your year; I can feel it, Peanut."

"I hope so." She said, sipping from her wine glass.

With the mood at the table now shifted, Hiram found himself lightening up as well. He still felt as if Derrick was wrong for his daughter, but he had to let her figure that out on her own. "Are you going to have a party?"

"I think so. I am probably going to get reservations at that place on 5th. They have a dance floor."

Leroy lifted an eyebrow as he scooted his empty plate away from him. "You do enjoy dancing."

"I only get to turn 30 once. I figure that it's going to happen either way, I may as well dance my way through it." She shrugged and took the last bite of her sandwich.

"That's a good way to get through it. I remember when your daddy turned 30." Hiram chuckled slightly while Leroy's face turned red. The freak out that happened all those years ago was always a fun story to tell; more so for Hiram than for Leroy. "He freaked out and told…" Hiram trailed off when Rachel's phone began beeping. "Do you need to take that?"

She lifted her phone into view, a smile crossing her features. She knew by the assigned ringtone that it was a text from Derrick. "It's just a text." She unlocked her phone and tapped the screen, bringing the as yet unread message into view.

**This isn't working out. I think we should see other people. Sorry**

Hiram watched as Rachel read the message, her smile fading quickly. "Pumpkin? What is it?"

"Nothing." Rachel fought to hold back the tears as she typed put her phone away. She didn't even know how to respond to that message.

"What did it say?" Hiram persisted, easily noticing the tears welling up in Rachel's eyes while she shook her head. As persistent as ever, he asked again.

Rachel stood from the table abruptly and putting on her jacket and collecting her purse before turning to her fathers. "He said he wants to break up, okay. Are you happy now?"

"Over a text?" Leroy asked, somewhat shocked that this was all happening right now. He knew he didn't like that guy. "Oh Hiram, this is unacceptable."

"Daddy, please. I-I need to go." Rachel wiped her eyes and hastily kissed each of the men on the cheek, her need to get out of the restaurant overriding her usual need to be nice.

Hiram forced a smile for her as he began to walk away from the table. "Of course. Call us later."

"Leroy, why do these things happen to her?"

He sipped from his wine and sighed, wishing he hadn't predicted this outcome. "She has terrible luck with men."

"I know."

"I want grandkids."

Hiram set his glass down and looked at Leroy indignantly. He should have known. "Is that all you ever think about?"

"Maybe. It's not like she is getting younger and if she keeps wasting her time with these duds." Leroy watched on as Hiram's stoic features began showing signs of a conspiratorial smile. "What if… no we couldn't." He shook his head, knowing that what he was thinking was wrong. Very wrong.

"What?" Hiram leaned in closer, his curiosity taking him over. He wanted to know why his husband was wearing that look. He knew he was prone to wild ideas; Hiram knew from experience that it was always better to be in on his schemes. "What if, what?"

Leroy shook his head, hoping it would talk him out of the part wicked and part genius idea that had invaded him. "We can't"

"Leroy, just tell me."

He gave in and leaned closer, meeting Hiram in the center of the table. He kept his voice low and revealed his plan. "We could find her a boyfriend, nay, a husband, on our own. We place an ad, screen the possible suitors, and then set them up."

Hiram sat up, surprised that Leroy wanted to go this far. He had meddled before, but this was taking it up a notch. "That is crazy. Rachel is a grown woman, we shouldn't meddle."

"Joe, Brad, Casey, and Derick." His fingers ticked up as the names of Rachel's most recent boyfriends rolled off his tongue, Hiram's resolve crumbling with each name said.

"What should it say?" He conceded.

Leroy clapped in his chair, happy that he may soon be planning a wedding –and getting grandkids. "She is going to be so happy."

**Loving Fathers Seeking True Love for Their Daughter**

**29 year old single, passionate, ambitious, attractive, talented, bubbly, determined, enthusiastic, resourceful, brunette, singer with two loving fathers is ready to settle down with a man who can show her what she has been missing.**

**The ideal candidate must be physically fit, but not a gym rat. Self-sufficient, but not withdrawn. Intelligent, but not a know-it-all. Hardworking, but not a work-a-holic. Loving, but not clingy.**

**If you have long hair, mental illness, weird fetishes, extra nipples, excessive tattoos or body odor, our daughter is not for you.**

**Only those who are monogamous, trustworthy, and family oriented need apply. **

**Jewish faith and/or heritage preferable.**

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><p><strong>AN- **** Katie is modeled after my own daughter, who is now 6. Just about everything Katie says in this, I have heard my daughter say in some form. You will see more of her. In general, I'd love to hear if you enjoyed the first chapter. Much love.**


	2. Facilitate Me

**A/N- You guys are the best. This chapter was way too much fun to write, I hope it makes you laugh. For those of you wondering, Quinn is a non-issue in this story. My twitter posse is awesome; Erica, Allie, and Melanie are the bomb. For the record, the conversation that Finn and Katie have, happened to me in real life. **

**Disclaimer- I still don't own the characters, the music, Glee, or Because I Said So. The mistakes, however, are all mine.**

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><p>"…out to recess. Bradley was sitting next to me."<p>

"Uh huh." As usual, Katie woke up ready to start her day. Finn was trying to listen to the play by play of the previous school day, but the long shift he had just come off of had left him run down and tired. It baffled him how she could talk almost non-stop from the time she woke up to when she fell asleep. It also made him wonder, yet again, how she was so quiet during school.

When Katie's teacher had told him that Katie was so quite in class, Finn almost fell out of the tiny sized chair he was in. Since Katie had learned to talk, there wasn't a single person who would describe his daughter as quiet. The teacher assured him that Katie interacted appropriately, raising her hand when needed and playing with other kids during recess, but when it came time to focus, Katie was focused.

"I didn't kiss him back, though."

Whoa. What the hell did he miss? Since when does his five year old daughter kiss boys? "Didn't kiss who back?"

Katie turned to him, a sigh leaving her lips when she realized her dad wasn't listening. "Bradley. He kissed me at recess, but it's okay. I didn't kiss him back."

"Who is Bradley, again?" Finn was more than confused as they closed in on the school. He was under the impression that there was a no kissing policy and if there wasn't, there should be. And this Bradley boy better watch out.

Katie huffed in frustration. "A boy in my class daddy." She wrinkled her freckled nose and looked up at her dad. "I think he wants to marry me."

"Do you want to marry him?"

The little girl shook her head wildly. "No way. Boys have cooties."

"They sure do. Especially boys named Bradley." Finn smiled when her eyes went wide, now aware that the kissing boy had cooties. They walked to the entrance of the school and Finn kneeled in front of her and straightened out her jacket. As he finished, Katie's expression turned curious.

"You're a boy, do you have cooties daddy?"

Finn stilled, his brain desperately searching for an answer. "Uh, no. Daddy's and Mommy's get a shot when they have a baby so that they don't have cooties anymore."

"Oh. Okay." He was thankful that she so easily went along with his bogus information. "Is grandma and grandpa going to be here today? It's been years since I seen them and grandpa always brings me candy. I like candy."

Finn chuckled. "Calm down, Booger; they will be here for Thanksgiving."

"Okay. Have a good day, Daddy!"

The little girl hugged him tightly and then kissed his cheek before letting go. She gave him one last smile and turned to go into the school. "Be good. I'll come get you after school."

"Bye."

Finn watched her go, blowing out a breath as she watched her disappear inside the school. If he was going to survive the rest of this day, he was going to need coffee.

After a short walk, Finn found himself sitting in a coffee shop sipping from the large cup. Originally, he planned to be there long enough to have a moment to himself and unwind before he went home to attend to the stuff that needed to be done there. Instead, he found himself settling in to his seat a little more and listening to the couple behind him. They had been interviewing men that seemed to be about his age for over an hour now. At first he thought maybe they were interviewing for a job, but then the one with glasses asked one of the candidates if he was single. The line of questions and the parade of young men caught his attention and he could help but refill his coffee and settle in to get to the bottom of it.

Hiram was starting to lose hope that there were any decent men left in New York City. He was starting to understand why Rachel was having such a hard time with men. There were a lot of creeps and weirdos out there and he and Leroy were sure that they had set a trap to meet them all.

"What is it that you do, Brody?" The well-built young man had made a great physical impression. He was good looking and confident and seemed like a good candidate. They made it through the introductions and were now moving on with the questioning.

"I'm a fitness instructor."

Logically, Brody working at a gym meant that he wouldn't need to take time away from Rachel to work out, since that's what he did for a living. Leroy was intrigued at the possibility. "That sounds like a good job."

"Yeah, it has its advantages."

Hiram and Leroy both noticed him smirking at the barista but chose to think positive and press on with the next question. "When you plan to spend an evening at home, what is the first thing you do?"

"I strip naked."

"Excuse me?" Both men asked.

Brody smiled, clearly pleased with the reaction to his honest answer. "When I am home, the first think I do is strip naked. I look good naked and I want to spend as much time as possible appreciating that freedom. Why spend so much time working out if I am not fully able to appreciate it?" Brody lifted his arm, flexing it before he kissed his bicep. "That's why there are so many mirrors in my place too."

Hiram stood from the table, "Okay, Brody. We will be in touch." Hastily, he ushered the young man away from the table.

"There is no way I'm introducing that creep to our Peanut." Leroy watched as the he went directly to barista he had smirked at before, obviously flirting. Pig. "Who's next?"

Soon after the ad was published, the two men received several messages of interest. They weeded out the obvious no's and set up meetings with all the ones who passed the 'paper test.' They had been in this coffee shop, interviewing potential dates every half hour. For each man they were to meet, they were ready with a copy of their online profile.

"Good afternoon Gentlemen. I am The Jesse St. James."

The young man stood proudly at the edge of the table, extending his hand to each of the men before sitting in the empty seat. The politeness of the well-dressed man found Leroy and Hiram hopeful. "Jesse, it is so nice to meet you. Your resume is quite impressive."

"I know."

Hiram raised an eyebrow at Leroy, who shrugged and begun the questioning. "Alright. Why don't you tell us why you think you would be a great match for our daughter?"

Jesse adjusted his tie and cleared his throat before confidently telling the men about himself. "As you saw on my resume, I am a successful choreographer in the area. Many of the high schools that I have worked with have had their glee clubs or cheerleading squads go on to win national titles thanks to my leadership. I surround myself with the best and make them better, something I'm sure you would want for your daughter."

"Where do you see yourself in five years?" Leroy asked, reading from his notes.

Jesse seemed to think for a minute before taking a breath and answering. "In five years, it is inevitable that my many many talents will be recognized and I will be choreographing music videos and concerts for all the famous musicians."

"That's an admirable goal, Jesse. Where would you like to be in ten years?" Hiram was intrigued by the young man's ambition. It reminded him of Rachel's and that was something that the two would have in common.

"I will have won a couple Grammy's by then, of course. My girlfriend will be caring for our son, Jesse Jr, and daughter, Diana, while my career takes us around the country so I can help the poor unfortunate dancers look good on camera. Not everybody can have the talents that I possess."

Hiram held up a hand, gesturing for Jesse to stop. "I'm sorry, did you say 'girlfriend?'"

"Yes I did. The Jesse St. James cannot be tied down by a wife. I will be sure she is cared for and has the proper items to care for our children in a way that is suitable, but I am not looking to get married."

The older man shook his head and leaned closer. "Then why would you answer our ad? We said we were looking for a possible husband."

"No." Jesse shook his head. "You said you were looking for her to settle down. I can provide that. I can also provide her a son with impeccable talent and hair." The men sat in silence, stunned at the words coming out of Jesse's mouth. "Before I will agree to anything though, I will need to see a picture of your daughter; I do have standards."

"That won't be necessary." Both Hiram and Leroy stood from their seats, eager to send this guy on his way. He would not do. "Thank you for meeting with us today."

Jesse stood and buttoned his jacket. "I'll be expecting your call."

"He is something else." Leroy said as Jesse disappeared from the coffee shop.

Leroy sighed. "The sad thing is that he doesn't even realize how far out of touch he his."

"My name is Jacob Ben Israel and I am going to marry your daughter."

The irritating, nasally tone caused both men to look up in dread. Dread that wasn't comforted by the words he greeted them with or his looks. His wild afro and beady eyes didn't exactly build up their confidence in him. Leroy could only stare in disbelief while Hiram began the questioning. "How about we have a chat before you buy the ring, Son."

"Son! Son! I can't believe it." The nasally squeak was held to low volumes, as the strange fellow tried to regain his composure while he took his seat. "My life is an open book. Ask me anything."

Leroy looked over his profile, remembering that this was one of the only Jewish fellas to answer their ad. "Well, Jacob, I do believe you said in your profile that you are of the Jewish faith. Do you attend Temple?"

"I go once a month with my mother."

Jacob's constant fidgeting was distracting as he squirmed and shifted in his seat. Leroy tried not to notice as he pressed forward. "Oh, you go with your mother, are you close with her?"

"Very." Jacob answered, nodding enthusiastically.

"That's good." Leroy looked to Hiram, silently giving him a brief thumbs up. So far, this was the only thing the kid had going for him. "What do you do for a living?"

Jacob smiled, his beady eyes lighting up as he answered them. "I run a popular blog. We get several hundred hits every day."

"A blog? That sounds promising. What do you blog about?" Hiram half expected him to say that he was a mad scientist or that didn't have a job at all. Everything he knew about blogs suggested that you needed to be good at it to make a living out of it and that was promising.

"I blog about celebrity news and sightings throughout the city; just yesterday I wrote about Jennifer Anniston."

Leroy sat up, intrigued that he may have a chance to see Jennifer Anniston. She was his favorite actress. "You saw Jennifer Anniston?"

"Yes. Her panties had little heart shapes on them."

Hiram looked behind him, temporarily distracted by the snort coming from the table behind him. "Excuse me?"

"Her panties. They had hearts on them." Jacob was bouncing in his seat, his afro bouncing while he practically drooled over the creepy memory.

"I think we are done here." Hiram stood, immediately followed by Leroy, hoping to intimidate the boy enough that he would disappear forever. "Goodbye Jacob."

"Don't you want to give me your daughter's phone number?" Jacob questioned seriously as he stood.

Hiram gave him a stern look and spoke in a gruff tone that left no room for argument. "No. Goodbye Jacob."

"How much do you want to bet, he still lives with his mother?" Leroy asked, folding his arms.

"I'm sure he does." The men waited till Jacob was out of the coffee shop and out of view before returning to their seats and shuffling around the papers scattered on the table. "How many do we have left?"

Finn couldn't take it anymore. He had sat in silence, listening to these guys interviewing potential suitors for their daughter. Each guy was worse than the next and whoever their daughter was, he was sure she didn't deserve the endless parade of idiots that could be coming her way. "I'm sorry, I couldn't help but overhear." One of the men swiveled in his seat, confusion written on his face. The other man, the one wearing glasses, also turned, giving Finn their full attention. "I have been sitting back here trying not to listen to the two of you interview potential husbands for your daughter. I am shocked that this is still happening in this day and age. How many goats are you getting for her?"

Leroy sputtered in shock, unable to speak. Hiram reached a hand up to rest on his shoulder while he addressed the broad shouldered stranger. "I'm afraid you have the wrong idea, son. We aren't trying to arrange her marriage; we are simply trying to find a suitable man for her." The man shifted in his seat, his white t-shirt lifting on his bicep slightly and revealing a tattoo.

"… And if they happen to get married later on..." Leroy shrugged.

"Oh. That's a little better. Wait. No it's not. Does she know that you are doing this?" Finn looked between the two men, noticing how they looked at each other and didn't answer his question. "She doesn't, does she?"

Hiram eyed the black ink circling his arm and wondered why this guy was butting in to their business. "Look, Mr. Tattoo man, someday when you have a daughter of your own."

"Which was about five years ago." Finn interjected.

Why wasn't he surprised? "So then you know. Our daughter deserves so much better that what has come her way in the dating department, we are simply trying to screen out the losers and deadbeats," he gave him a knowing look, "before they get to her. We just want her to be happy."

"I can understand that, I can. But I still don't think you should be doing this. You can't force someone to fall in love." Finn couldn't understand why the one with glasses kept staring at his arm like he was some sort of hoodlum. It's not like the tattoo was a gang sign or anything. It's just a simple arm band.

Leroy held a hand to his chest in surprise. "We aren't forcing her to do anything. We are just facilitating a chance meeting."

"What about me?" Finn couldn't explain it. Though his initial assessment of the situation had been wrong, he found himself intrigued. The idiot parade had mostly consisted of guys about his age who were looking for love. Based on the questions and answered he had heard over the last hour or so, he was way better than anything they had come up with.

"What about you?"

Finn smirked and shrugged his shoulders. "I'm a good guy, I'm single. Facilitate me."

"No offence, but you hardly look like the type of guy that we would want for our daughter." Hiram shook his head, immediately dismissing his request.

Finn leaned closer to the men, teasing them a little. He couldn't explain why, but he liked these guys. Maybe not what they were doing or how quickly they seemed to judge him, but he liked them. And he was having fun messing with them a little. "Why? For all you know I'm your future son in law."

"Look. You seem like an alright guy. You are tall and obviously well built, but that…" Hiram glanced at the tattoo knowingly, "And the fact that you have a daughter tells us everything we need to know."

Finn sat up quickly, a huff escaping him. "It doesn't tell you anything."

"You are extremely likeable and somewhat chivalrous, if you forget that you were eavesdropping, but we have other people to meet." Leroy turned slightly in his chair, silently wondering why this guy was the best candidate they had met so far today.

"I hope you know what she really wants. Good luck in your search." Finn said sincerely before turning back to his coffee cup. He drank the last sip, deciding he would continue to listen, hoping he might find out how he could meet their daughter. He wanted to warn her about what her fathers were up to; and maybe find out what the fuss was about.

Hiram and Leroy turned back to their overwhelming stack of profiles, separating them out while they waited for the next candidate. It wasn't too long before a good looking young man stood beside their table, his hands clasped tightly in front of him.

"Excuse me?"

The older men stood and each extended a hand to him, eager to greet the polite young man. "Hello there young man."

"Hello Sirs. I am Blaine Anderson."

The well behaved and soft spoken young man was a refreshing change from the long line of disappointing suitors they had spent the day with so far. Hiram could see the excitement on Leroy's face, but he chose to remain cautious. "Have a seat." The three men sat at the table, ready to begin the line of questions. "I am Hiram and this is my husband, Leroy."

"It's nice to meet you both."

"It's nice to meet you, too. This is refreshing, isn't he refreshing, Hiram?"

Hiram gave Leroy an incredulous look. It seemed only his short term memory was working, because clearly he had already forgotten how quickly Jacob turned into a creep. "Your profile has already told us about your basic details; why don't you tell us what you like to do for fun?"

"I like to play with my nephews…" Blaine started.

"Awww."

Blaine sat up a little and turned his attention to Hiram, the more pulled together of the two, and continued. "I like to read, mostly fiction, and well, my guilty pleasure is singing. It's just something I really like to do when I'm alone."

Leroy clapped his hands together in delight and smiled widely at Hiram. "A singer… That's wonderful. What do you do for a living?"

"I am a Lawyer, currently practicing at Bishop, Anderson, & Jones."

Hiram perked up at the name of the law firm, the dots connecting in his head. "That's a good firm, any relation to Michael Anderson?"

"Yes Sir. He is my father." Blaine nodded, his lips sealed. Part of the reason he was here was his dad. There were things he wanted in his life that he knew his father would not agree with.

"Oh small world. Michael and I worked together on a project not too long ago. He's a good guy. Tell him I said hello."

Blaine's fell slightly as nodded once, desperately hoping to steer the conversation away from his overbearing father. "Sure."

"So why would a good looking lawyer be answering a personal ad? You look like you can get a date whenever you want." Leroy asked, curious.

Blaine mentally recalled the answer that he prepared ahead of time in preparation for this meeting. "My schedule doesn't really allow me to seek a suitable date." He wasn't lying. The hours he worked were time consuming, but not so much that he didn't have any time to himself. He just couldn't make it to the places he wanted to frequent in order to find love.

"How about we fix that?" Leroy looked to Hiram for the nod of approval and when it was given, he produced an envelope from his pocket. "Rachel Berry, our daughter, is currently starring in Beauty and the Beast on Broadway. How would you like a VIP ticket?"

Blaine cautiously took the envelope, staring at it in disbelief. He couldn't believe he was getting a VIP ticket to a beloved Broadway musical. This was working out pretty well for him, mostly. "Broadway? VIP?"

"You can go back stage and accidentally meet our little starlet, the two of you will hit it off, and then, voila." Leroy held his hands up in victory, catching the attention of a few patrons around the coffee shop. He even thought he heard a scoff from the table behind him.

Blaine smiled tightly. "Sounds easy enough."

"I think we are going to get along just fine."

Finn stood from the table, now satisfied with the information he had gathered. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the three men smiling at each other and carrying on. He really couldn't wait to get to Rachel Berry and tell her what her fathers were up to. He would agree that Blaine did seem like a pretty cool guy (definitely better than the other tools). Even if he didn't seem like her type at all; from what he knows about her, which is very little.

He knows her dads think she's beautiful, that can be said about most dads. He knows she is a Broadway actress and currently in Beauty and the Beast, he knows that she is single, and perhaps more than anything, he knows he wants to know her.

As Finn made his way out of the coffee shop, he pulled the phone from his pocket and began his search. He typed in what he knew and clicked the link. The bright eyes of a beautiful woman appeared on the screen and he found it hard to scroll onward. Wary of the foot traffic continuing around him, he saved the picture to his phone and scrolled down in hopes of getting more information. He read through the short bio and a slow smile spread across his face as he found what he was looking for.

"Bingo."

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><p><strong>AN- Blaine? Who saw that coming? You are probably retrieving your torches and pitch forks about now, but I ask that you hold off. There has to be a story beyond their happily ever after. Everybody meets in the next chapter! I do love hearing from you all in my reviews, thank you for being kind and constructive. Much love! **


	3. Nice to Meet You

**A/N- Hello! So sorry it took me so long to get this chapter to you. It's been a crazy week (affectionately referred to as 'hell week'), filled with many activities and serious writers block. I'm sorry anyway. Thank you for all the kind words and thanks for not hunting me down so that you can murder me in my sleep. I promise that there is a reason for every crazy element. My ladies (Erica, Allie, and Mel) are amazing, love them. I hope you enjoy this chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the music, the characters, Because I Said So, or Glee. I do own Katie and Frank (actually, I share Frank with RedAmbition, whom I still love).**

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><p>Rachel stopped in front of the large metal door, her access pass at the ready. She found it ridiculous that she still had to show her pass to Frank every time she arrived at the theater, especially since she had been here six days a week for almost three years now. Nevertheless, she rang the buzzer and moved aside while she waited for Frank to open the door.<p>

"Good afternoon Miss Berry."

"Hello Frank." She lifted her access pass into the older man's view and smiled when he moved aside. "I don't understand why I need to show you that this thing every day. I have met your wife and kids."

Frank laughed and closed the heavy door behind her. "I'm just doing my job. I'd hate for someone to sneak in here pretending to be you and take your place on the stage when the curtains go up."

"That would be a tragedy." Rachel agreed.

"I concur. Break a leg tonight."

Rachel smiled and turned, calling back to Frank as she made her way to her dressing room. "Thank you Frank." The familiar winding walk took her through the corridors and hallways, passing the myriad of props and various stage settings for tonight's show. She opened the door to her dressing room and took stock of the items set out by the wardrobe department, immediately noticing that her big blue hair bow was missing. From experience, Rachel knew that it would be easier to go to wardrobe to get it before she began to get ready and before everybody else got to the theater. This is precisely why she arrived early every day; she left the confines of her dressing room make her way to wardrobe to get her wig.

"Hey Brittany, do you still have my Belle bow?" Brittany was the sweet girl who ran the costume department. The tall blonde was gorgeous and talented, but not always the brightest. Sometimes she held over things for absurd reasons (usually they involved her hefty cat, Lord Tubbington), but Rachel really loved her and her bubbly, positive attitude.

"I do, I had to have it cleaned again. Lord Tubbington slept on it again."

Rachel laughed as she took the large blue bow from Brittany, thanking her and heading back to her dressing room. She was examining the bow as she walked and accidentally ran into something. She looked up to see a man just taller than her wearing a jacket and tie looking at her like he had seen a ghost. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to bump into you like that."

The man continued to look at her for a moment before shaking his head. "I'm sorry. I was on the tour and I got separated and I should have been watching where I was going. I'm sorry."

"I guess we are both at fault. I am Rachel Berry." Rachel held up the bow as if she was proving that what she was saying was true. "I play Belle."

The man smiled and held his pass to her. "I'm Blaine Anderson, lost theater goer."

"I can fix that." Rachel smiled at the curly haired man, eyeing his pass and catching a glimpse of his strange tie. "But I need to know about that tie." Blaine smiled again, falling in step beside her as she led him to where he could reconnect with his group.

He looked down at his tie, holding between his fingers. "It has warblers on it. That was our high school mascot; I guess I have a soft spot for them."

"That's nice. My high school mascot was a dinosaur; that look doesn't exactly go with you when you grow up." Rachel continued to play with the bow in her hands while she thought about what was happening. She had accidently bumped into a good looking man backstage at her show. She didn't feel her heart rate speed up or her knees going weak, but she did feel drawn to this guy. He seemed friendly and well put together and she liked that about him.

"It would be hard to rock that look now." He said, chuckling slightly.

Rachel turned to him, a teasing look marking her features. "Are you making fun of me Blaine Warbler?"

"No way. Your dinosaurs would destroy my warblers."

Rachel laughed, turning forward and starting to move in the direction they were going before. "Don't you forget it." She looked ahead to see the group standing at the side of the stage and gestured to Blaine that they had found the group. "Looks like we found your group."

"Looks like it. Thank you, Rachel. Break a leg tonight." This was it. Blaine summoned all he had, hoping to find the courage to ask out the girl in front of him; that's why he was after all. She was pretty and seemed friendly enough and he came here for a reason.

Rachel toyed with the bow in her hand and smiled. "I hope you enjoy the show." She turned to go back to her dressing room so she could get ready for the show, only making it a few steps before she heard him call to her. "Yes?"

"I-I was wondering. Would you maybe like to go see a movie with me Monday night?" That wasn't so hard.

Rachel took a step closer as her heart sped up slightly. "I can't." Blaine's face fell and Rachel immediately felt like she needed to explain. "I have a fundraiser that night."

"They are having a double feature at the IFC Center Friday. We can go after your show."

"I would like that." She rested her hand on his upper arm and squeezed lightly. "Meet me outside by the stage door after the show on Friday?" He nodded and smiled politely. "Enjoy the show Blaine."

Rachel made her way back to her dressing room with a smile on her face. She changed into her blue dress and apron, dying to tell someone of her luck. Pulling her phone out of her purse, she dialed the only number she could think to call and waited for them to answer.

_"__Hello?"_

Rachel smiled, knowing they couldn't see it. "Hi Daddy."

_"__Princess! Aren't you about to go on stage?"_

"I have a few minutes." She placed the phone on speaker and set it in front of her on the vanity so she could apply her makeup and talk at the same time. This was not an uncommon practice for her.

_"__Why do you sound so happy? Did something happen? Did you meet a boy?"_

Rachel giggled at the rapid questioning. Her Daddy was always like this and more often than not, the last one was always about a boy. This time though, she was able to give him an answer he would enjoy. "I did! He came to the theater tonight and we talked and he's cute. His name is Blaine and we are going out later this week."

_"__Oh, that's wonderful! What does he do? I bet he's a lawyer, he sounds like a lawyer."_

She was in the middle of applying her eye makeup, when she stilled. They really didn't talk about too many personal details; she would have to remedy that on their date. "I don't know Daddy, we didn't get to talk much." She lifted the brush back to her eye and stilled again. "Wait, what does a lawyer sound like?"

_"__His name sounds lawyerish."_

Rachel looked at the phone in disbelief. "How does a name sound 'lawyerish?'"

_"__Got to go Princess. Break a leg tonight. Love you!"_

"I love you too." Rachel hung up the phone and shook her head. Sometimes it seemed as if her dads had more at stake in her relationships that she did. Daddy especially.

~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~

"Are you ready?" Finn stood outside the large theater, looking up while he held tight to Katie's hand.

"Yeah, Daddy."

He wiggled their hands and kneeled down in front of her to adjust her red dress. He caught sight of the black converse shoes that she insisted on wearing and shook his head. Katie loved putting on dresses and dressing up, but she rarely wore proper dress-up shoes, not that Finn minded. "Remember to behave; we are at a fancy party."

"Ugh. I know daddy. Can we go find the chicks now?"

She gestured to the door where children were entering with their parents. Finn rested his hands on her shoulders and wished Puck would stop telling her these things. Even if it was sort of true this time. "Katie, I told you; we are here to help raise money, not pick up chicks."

"Uncle Puck said that you were only here so you can meet a girl. He said I can help you pick up chicks." Katie's grin was wide and innocent and it was clear that she was oblivious to her dad's exasperation. Finn stood, giving up the argument that would only lead to grey hair.

"Uncle Puck is an ass." He muttered under his breath, taking Katie's hand and heading towards the entrance of the theater.

"What Daddy?"

Finn squeezed her hand and looked down at her as they entered the party room. "Nothing. How about we go find a seat?" He found the information for this fundraising event while looking at Rachel's biography online. The event was raising money so that kids would be able to have Christmas and featured a dance floor, some carnival games and the cast of Beauty and the Beast. There was a large three tier cake surrounded by other sugary treats set up along one the far wall with the games set up on the adjacent wall. Tables were scattered throughout the center, each decorated with a Beauty and the Beast theme, and there was a dance floor set up on the far end of the space. There was plenty for a kid (and her dad) to do.

"Over there." Katie pointed towards the large yellow cake. "We can sit by the cake."

Finn smiled, sometimes, Katie was so much like him. "Good choice." They found their seats and loaded up the small plates with a selection of treats and sat down to eat them. The whole time, Katie's eyes were scanning the room, waiting for any sign of the characters.

"When is the princess going to come out?"

"I don't know. Soon, I think." There wasn't a set itinerary for the party; the description only said that the characters would be there. It didn't say how long they would stay or how involved they would be; it only said they would be there. The room had filled up quite a bit since they arrived, most of the tables that were generally empty when they arrived, had now filled up.

"Daddy! It's Chip! Look look!"

Katie's excited squeal surprised him while he was drinking from his clear party cup. He wiped the liquid off his chin and reached out to Katie, holding her back so she couldn't run away. "I see, I see. Calm down. Let's go say hello. Do you have your book?"

"Yep!" She held the small notebook he had got for her high in the air, jumping beside her seat. "I'm ready for autograts."

Finn led her to where 'Chip' was greeting children. They waited in the short line, moving up as each child moved on. When it was Katie's turn, she talked to him animatedly and then thrust her book in his face while politely asking him to sign it. "Look! It says Chip." She held the open book up to Finn's face for only a moment before slamming it shut and leading him away. "There's Gaston!"

"Whoa, slow down." The next half hour was spent darting to each of the characters so that they could wait in line and get a signature. Katie had made everybody watch Beauty and the Beast every day since he told her they would be attending this fundraiser. The movie was not new to her, but knowing that she was going to be meeting 'Belle,' made it her most favorite. The first couple of days, it was a welcome change from the previous favorite, but now he was somewhat over it. Judging by the way she was chasing after Belle though, Finn figured this was only going to make her obsession grow. Wait… "Katie, wait." Finn weaved through the crowd trying to get to her before she tackled the unsuspecting princess.

"I want to be a princess someday."

Rachel bent over slightly to greet the little girl wearing the pretty red dress and… black converse shoes. The shoes were probably how she was able to beat all the other kids to the line. "Then I bet you will be." Rachel said, smoothing out her yellow dress while little girl glanced behind her.

"Uncle Puck says princesses aren't real though." When she kept going on and on about how he knew some princesses, Puck had decided to admit defeat and tell Katie that princesses weren't real, much to her horror.

Rachel smiled. The things kids said always amused her and the talkative ones were usually her favorite. She lowered herself to where she was able to speak to the little girl more privately. "I am a princess and I'm right here, so maybe you can tell your uncle that you met one today."

"I'll tell him." Katie nodded, satisfied that this was the real Belle.

"I like your shoes too." Rachel lifted her dress slightly, showing Katie the white converse shoes hiding under her own floor length dress, taking delight in the way the little girl's eyes widened. Rachel lifted her finger to her lips, gesturing for her to keep it a secret. "That's a pretty dress you have."

Katie was beside herself with the inside secret knowledge that Belle wears the same shoes as her. Her excitement was almost too much for her to handle. "Thank you! My Daddy helped me find it. Your hair is pretty. My daddy doesn't do my hair good. Uncle Petunia does it better."

"Uncle Petunia?" Rachel raised an eyebrow at the girl, waiting (and secretly hoping) the girl would continue.

"Uncle Puck calls him that cause he likes boys. I don't know why; boys have cooties, except my daddy cause he got a shot. Uncle Puck says that we are here to pick up a chick for him."

The little girl was a fast talker and the information coming at Rachel was almost too much. "Oh- okay."

"Okay, Katie that's enough. I'm sure the other kids want to say hi to Belle too." Finn had found Katie exactly where he expected her to be. What he didn't expect, was Rachel. He held back watching on as Katie greeted her totally star struck. Rachel was shorter that he had figured, judging by the build of her fathers (he guessed one of them had a hand in her genetics). Somehow, though, it worked for her and even though she was in costume, he was totally captivated by her. The yellow ball gown accentuated her figure and the way she interacted with Katie kept him from interrupting; until he heard the word 'chick.' "Sorry about that, she's fast."

"That's alright." Rachel looked up at the tall stranger and rose slowly, taken by the color of his eyes. She looked to the little girl and then back the tall handsome stranger. "You don't look like you would be Uncle Petunia, does that mean you are the famous Uncle Puck?"

Finn shook his head, adamantly denying those titles. "No. God no. I'm Finn, this chatterbox is my daughter, Katie." He rested his hand on the girls shoulder while talking to the princess. "'Uncle Petunia is my brother, Kurt and Uncle Puck is my best friend. Puck watched her today while I was in training and sometimes he forgets that she's only five."

"He sounds interesting."

"He's…" Finn looked up, trying to find the words to describe his best friend when Katie pulled on his jacket, drawing his attention back down to her.

"Daddy? Is Belle a chick?"

Finn was sure he was blushing now. He shook his head hoping Rachel was not taking offence to the things his daughter had said. "No, Booger, Belle is a princess."

Rachel's heart started thumping wildly when Finn looked at her at called her a princess. She recovered quickly and leaned slightly to talk to Katie again. "You be good for your daddy and try not to listen to everything Uncle Pick says."

"It's Puck." Katie corrected matter of factly.

She smiled playfully and nodded once. "Oh sorry. It was nice meeting you Katie, and Finn." Her eyes connected with Finn's and she hated that she was actually working right now. She wanted nothing more than to join the two and have a real conversation with them both, but the line was getting restless. She saw Finn look back, also noticing the long line behind them. "Enjoy the party."

Finn spent most of the evening stealing glances of Rachel. The plan when he came here was to find her and warn her about her father's plan to marry her off, as soon as he saw her, however, that plan flew right out the window. He wanted be the one she chose and now that they had met, he wasn't sure he could ever go back to being the guy that didn't know Rachel Berry.

Katie had spent the night pulling Finn from booth to booth, filling up on treats and talking with the characters. They were currently sitting at the table drinking a much needed glass of water.

"Daddy! Look, people are dancing, can we dance?"

The room had thinned out, leaving more space and almost nonexistent lines. Being a school night, Finn knew that they should be going soon too. Katie was obviously sleepy, but he knew from experience that he would have to wait until Katie admitted defeat. "Aren't you tired yet; it's almost bedtime?"

"A little, but you can just carry me while we dance, so my feet won't get tired."

Finn chuckled at the girl's logic and stood, holding is hands open for her. "Oh okay, come on lets go." Katie climbed into his hold and they made their way to the sparsely occupied dance floor where he moved with the music. Finn was not much of a dancer, but Katie loved it. Whenever she got the chance she pulled him out there, he was just thankful that it a slow song had just started. About three quarters through the song, he felt her get heavy on his shoulder and he swayed through the rest of the song hoping that she was really out.

Rachel watched on as Finn danced with his daughter. The gesture warmed her heart, even more so as the little girl fell asleep on his shoulder. She didn't know if there was a woman other that Katie in his life, but she found herself wondering. She didn't really know what it meant, but if this was the only time she would get to see him, she wanted to talk to him one more time. "It looks like she had a little too much fun."

"Huh?" Finn was startled as he tried to gather Katie's things in the small bag she was given earlier in the evening. He turned when he heard the angelic sound and smiled when he saw Rachel there. "Oh yeah. She had a pretty eventful day, you know. She met a princess."

His gentle teasing brought a smile to her face and she couldn't help but continue it, raising her eyebrow for effect. "According to Uncle Puck, they aren't real."

"She told you that?" How does Puck manage to do this to him? "I'm sorry."

Rachel laughed. "Don't be."

"I'm going to kill Puck anyway. Just to be safe." He teased, adjusting Katie on his shoulder.

Rachel took Katie's jacket from the back of the chair where it was resting and laid it over the sleeping girls back. She could see that his hands were full and she wanted to help. "That won't be necessary, most of the time I'm just Rachel Berry anyway."

"Rachel Berry, huh?" A slow smile spread across his lips, he had forgotten that he wasn't supposed to know her name. He looked down at her yellow dress and smirked at the beauty in front of him. "Does Belle ever let Rachel have any fun or does she hog it all."

"She lets me out once in a while."

He raised an eyebrow and shifted Katie in his arms again, making sure to keep his voice low when he spoke. "How about Wednesday? You think she'll let you out then?"

"I think that can be arranged." Rachel couldn't believe he just asked her out. She had come over here expecting to say goodbye to him and never see him again, now she was making plans to see him in only a couple days. "Do you have a piece of paper?"

Finn remembered that Katie had brought the small notebook and pulled it from his pocket with his semi-free hand. "Yeah. You can use Katie's autograph book."

Rachel took the small book and flipped through the pages. She saw many of her cast mate's signatures but didn't see her own. Realizing she hadn't yet signed Katie's book, she took a moment and wrote a special note to the little girl before turning to the last page and writing her name and phone number. "My number is in the back. And I signed a page for Katie; she didn't have it with her earlier."

"Thanks." Finn took the book from Rachel, shivering slightly as their fingers brushed. "I'll see you soon, Rachel."

She turned to walk away, but paused before turning back to him and winking. "It appears Uncle Puck isn't always wrong."

"That can be our secret."

"Bye Finn."

The next day, once she woke up and had breakfast, Finn informed Katie that he got Belle to sign her book after she fell asleep at the party. Katie immediately went to her room and retrieved the book, bouncing around while she waited for Finn to read her what was written. He held back his laughter while she listened on with delight. When he finished, Katie put on her jacket and insisted that they show it to Uncle Puck; right now. He wasn't entirely against taking her over there; it could be a fun showdown between the two.

"Uncle Puck, Uncle Puck." Katie entered his apartment holding tight to the small notebook. "Uncle Puck, you said princesses aren't real."

Puck looked to Finn then back to Katie. "They aren't Special K."

"Belle is real. I talked to her and she likes my shoes and she's a real princess." She was telling him the facts with such conviction and Finn couldn't help but laugh when Puck gave him a look of disbelief.

Puck raised an eyebrow at the little girl. "Sure she did."

Katie smiled and passed the book to him, a smug look on the girls face. "She wanted me to tell you something."

"Oh yeah." He started to flip through the pages, no idea what he was searching for.

Finn laughed a little. "It's near the middle."

"Is this why you stopped by?" Puck asked, still searching the pages.

"Pretty much." Finn said.

Puck stopped on a page in the middle and rolled his eyes when he began reading.

**Katie,**

**I'm so glad you came to see me. You are a great little girl and one day you will probably have a castle of your own. You can tell your Uncle Puck that princesses do exist and if he is not nice, he won't ever be a prince. I bet he has lots of boy cooties.**

**Love always, **

**Belle**

**Ps- I think your daddy did a great job with your hair.**

"Is this chick for real?"

Finn nodded at his friend. "Oh yeah."

"See I told you Uncle Puck, I told you that they were real." Katie interrupted.

Puck rolled his eyes and handed the notebook back to Katie. "That doesn't prove anything, Special K. She used a pink pen for hell sakes."

"That's cause she's a princess, duh."

It was then that Finn decided to put an end to the childish argument. He couldn't believe Puck insisted on carrying it on at all. "Okay, that's enough. Katie, why don't you go potty before we go to school."

"I don't have to." She whined.

Finn gave her a serious look. "Just try. We aren't stopping on the way to school. This is your only chance." Begrudgingly, Katie left for the bathroom, leaving Finn and Puck alone.

"So did you find a chick?"

"Her name is Rachel."

Puck laughed and clapped him on the shoulder. "So you did. The princess?" Finn stayed silent, only rolling his eyes as Puck continued. "I knew it." Katie came out of the bathroom just then and Puck held up a hand to her, high fiving her as she walked by. "Way to go, Special K."

"Puck…" Finn warned. "Come on Booger, we got to get to school." He needed to get her out of there before Puck revealed too much.

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><p><strong>AN- ****I love Katie. T****he dates are coming up in the next chapter; that should be fun. I love me some non-hateful reviews. Much Love!**


	4. Two for One

**A/N- You guys are AMAZING! The love I have felt sharing this with you has been wonderful. Thank you so much. You know I love all the Twitter peeps, and especially Erica. Her email has taken a beating from me with this story. In case you are wondering, this story will be about 11-12 chapters. That means there is still a lot of story to tell! I'm not a lawyer, nor do I really know any, so I'm sorta making that part up. I hope that you can go with it. **

**Disclaimer- I do not own the character, the music, Glee, or Because I Said So. All mistakes, however, are mine.**

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><p>Rachel fluffed her hair from behind the door while she waited (what she thought was the appropriate amount of time) before opening it. She took a deep steading breath and pulled open the door with a smile on her face. A smile that fell as soon as she realized it was not her date at the door. "Daddy, Papa, what are you doing here?"<p>

The men stepped into her apartment, looking around as they did so. "Pumpkin, we stopped by so you could tell us about your upcoming date."

"He's on his way over. You guys need to go. He should be here any minute."

The men shared a look that suggested their success and stepped back into the doorway. "Have fun with the lawyer."

Rachel hastily shoved the men out the door while she set them straight. "I told you, I don't know what he does for a living. I'll ask him Friday when I see him."

"What? I thought you were going out with him tonight. Isn't that why you are shooing us away?" Leroy stopped outside the apartment door, Hiram right beside him, as his eyes scanned the corridor for evidence of who she was meeting.

"Friday, I go out with Blaine on Friday. Tonight I'm going out with Finn." She glanced at the clock and pushed her daddy again. "And he will be here any minute. You need to go. I'll call you when I get to the theater. Love you." Rachel closed the door, leaving her dads in the hallway alone while she tried to steady her nerves as she waited for Finn.

Her dads took a hesitant step back, confusion clear on their faces. A few moments passed before Leroy started to smile and Hiram shook his head. "No. No Leroy. We are leaving her to her date. Alone."

"I just want to know who this Finn is." Leroy defended.

Hiram linked his arm through Leroy's and forcefully led him away from Rachel's door and into the elevator. "You have helped enough."

"I doubt he's as good as Blaine." Hiram chuckled as the elevator doors closed, holding tight to Leroy's arm when the next elevator over dinged next to them. He held him firmly, keeping him from going back into the hall to peek until the elevator began its decent.

Finn exited the subway carrying the bouquet of pink lilies he bought right after he dropped Katie off at school. He tried to stay calm as he closed in on the entrance to her apartment building, but the closer he got the faster his heart went. Ever since he had met Rachel at the party the other night, he found that he couldn't stop thinking about her; there was so much he wanted to know about her.

He entered the lobby, talking to the doorman so he could gain access to the elevator and make his way to Rachel's apartment. The six floor elevator ride seemed endless and when the doors finally opened Finn exited and stopped in the hallway. He surveyed the apartment numbers and turned left, his heart speeding up with every step closer to her door. The short walk brought him to apartment 6C and he quickly adjusted his jacket and the collar of his blue shirt before smoothing down the front of his khaki slacks. Steading his breath, he raised his hand and knocked on the door, stepping back when it opened almost immediately.

"Papa, will you please… Oh. Finn. Sorry, I thought you were someone else." Rachel blushed furiously when she realized she had begun her first date with Finn by yelling at him.

Finn looked at the small brunette in awe. Her flushed cheeks and bashful smile were endearing as she stood in embarrassment in the doorway. "Don't worry about it." He smiled and held the flowers out to her. "These are for you."

"Thank you." Rachel took the bouquet of lilies and brought them to her nose, inhaling the fragrant scent deeply. "Would you like to come in for a moment while I put these in some water?"

"Sure." Finn followed her in the apartment, watching as she searched her kitchen for a vase. "So you decided not to wear the ball gown today?"

Rachel smiled at him over her shoulder. "It's at the cleaners."

"Too bad." Finn teased. He was trying to ease the awkwardness of a first date while she filled the vase. Joking aside, she looked really good with the light make-up and dark, tight jeans that she was wearing. Her grey shirt was loose and flowy, but somehow managed to show of her figure well while the black strappy heels made her legs look extra-long. "I like this look better I think."

She stilled her hands, the flowers momentarily forgotten as she saw his lips quirk into an endearing, and sexy, half smile. "You think so?" Truth was, she had met Finn while in costume and a part of her was worried he wouldn't like her everyday look. She was relieved to know that he felt otherwise.

"Definitely." Finn watched her intently for a moment before composing himself. "I know this is a weird time of day for a date."

Rachel lifted the now filled glass vase to her kitchen table, slid on her pea coat, and grabbed her purse. "It actually works out well for me. I don't have to be at the theater until four."

"That's good to know. Katie has school at noon and sometimes it's easier to do things while she is there." Finn followed her to the door with his hands in his pockets. He didn't usually bring up Katie on the first date, but considering Rachel had already met her, he figured it was safe. "And I don't like to leave her with Puck if I don't have to."

Rachel smiled as she locked the door behind them and began their exit from the building. "Katie seems like a great kid, she was pretty funny when we talked the other night."

"Sorry about that. She got away from me. She can be quick."

"She's not the first kid to run up to me like that; usually they have chocolaty hands or something." Rachel mused. Her current role had her interacting with lots of little girls every day. Most of them were routine, but once in a while, there was one that stood out. "She sure does seem to love Puck and Petunia."

Finn rolled his eyes as they made their way out of her building. They paused and he turned, leading her towards their destination. "Kurt hates being called Petunia. Puck has always called him that; he was less than thrilled when Puck got Katie in on it."

"I bet." She fell in step next to him as they walked down the busy sidewalk. "How do you know Puck, have you known him for a long time?"

"We have been friends since high school. Kurt was already here going to college and me and Puck followed him out later."

Rachel smiled, she was already enjoying Finn's company. "Is he a firefighter too?"

"No. He manages a bar, that's why he has Katie when I work days." Finn turned them down another street, noticing they were closing in on their destination. "What about you, how long have you been a princess?"

Rachel giggled and nudged his shoulder with hers. "If you ask my dads, I was born one."

"No kidding." Finn mumbled through his laughter.

"I was cast in this show almost three years ago. Before that, I was in the chorus of _The Sound of Music_ for a couple years."

Finn was impressed. Though he had never heard her sing, he knew that she had to be good. "Wow. You must be good."

"I am." Rachel said, stopping next to Finn. "Why are we stopping?"

Finn opened the glass door ushering her in. "We're here."

"Miniature golf?" Rachel asked skeptically. "I've never played."

"You have never played mini golf?" It was amazing to Finn that she had never been before. For him, it was something he did whenever he needed to get away or de-stress. "In your life?"

Rachel shrugged. "It never came up."

"Then we better make it count. Come on." Finn took Rachel's hand and led her to the counter and after getting them each set up with a putter and a golf ball, the couple locked their jackets and Rachel's in a locker and went to the first hole.

The brightly colored course was set in darkness with only black lights to illuminate each of the holes. The overall theme was fantasy, the first hole being Alice in Wonderland. The curb lining the course was glowing white while glowing pastel buildings were built around it, creating visual interest and obstacles for game play.

"Wow. This is crazy." Rachel looked around the space and then at Finn. "Your pants are glowing!"

Finn smiled, happy that Rachel seemed to be open to enjoying their afternoon of mini golf. "Pretty cool huh?"

"Yeah. I've never seen anything like it." Rachel took hold of her putter and bounced to where she thought the hole started. "How do we play?"

Finn smiled and moved to her. "You just put your ball right here." He took her pink ball and gently placed it on the ground in front of her and stepped back out of her way. "And you use your putter to get it in the hole over there. Low score wins."

"That sounds easy enough."

Two holes later, with a score much higher than Finn's, Rachel was starting to get frustrated. She took hold of her putter and stood next to her glowing pink ball, steading herself as she took a swing at it. The ball bounced off the barrier then returned, finally rolling to a stop next to her foot. "What am I doing wrong, Finn?"

"Nothing. It just takes practice."

Rachel placed her hand on her hip and sighed. She had no intention of winning on her first try, but she did want to at least know what she was doing. "I have doubled your score."

"Okay, look." Finn rested his putter against a close by post and stepped towards her. "May I?" She nodded, silence taking her over as Finn's close proximity invaded her senses. "If you just…" Finn wrapped his arms around her shoulders, leaning over her slightly as he slid his hands down her arms to where her hands were tightly gripping the club. Her strawberry scent left him momentarily unable to focus. "Um. If you- If you just hold the club like this." He gently guided her hands around the club so that she had a more controlled grip. "And you keep your feet about shoulder width apart."

Rachel adjusted her footing, shifting her body slightly. Finn was pressed close against her back and she was at a loss when her eyes involuntarily closed. She had never been so affected by the close proximity of a man before. When he first took her hand outside of the building, she felt her heart speed up and now that he was so firmly pressed against her with his hands on hers, she was sure her heart was going to leap from her chest. "Like this?"

"Yeah." Finn steadied his breathing in an attempt to get himself under control. "You just line up your club with the ball and pull back. With this hole you want to bounce off the curb so that it will be closer to the hole." He stepped back, taking Rachel with him, and then swung the putter a couple times so she could get a feel for it. "Like this."

"Okay."

Finn moved them back to where her ball was set up and moved his hands from the club to her hips. He leaned in whispered in her ear, "You can do it," before letting go completely and returning to his previous spot near the post.

Rachel shivered at the sudden cold that she felt on her back. Her eyes found the ball resting in front of her; she closed her eyes and took a deep breath, hoping to clear her mind of the Finn fog it was in. Her eyes opened slowly and she drew back the club, tapping the ball as Finn had showed her. The ball ricocheted off the curb and rolled to a stop about a foot and a half from the hole. Rachel squealed in delight and launched herself into Finn's surprised arms, wrapping her arms around his neck. "I did it!"

"You did." Finn didn't have time to react when Rachel leapt into his arms. One minute he was watching her ball roll towards the hole and the next, his arms were wrapped around her waist while she held tight to him. Once again, the fragrance of her hair drew him in and held him hostage.

His intoxicating scent and strong hold kept her wanting to stay in his arms, but reluctantly she slowly lowered herself to the floor. "Sorry. I got excited."

"Don't worry about it." Finn smiled at her reassuringly. Honestly, he found that he already missed having his arms wrapped around her. "That was a great shot."

Rachel stood back while Finn placed his light blue golf ball on the ground. "It was all thanks to your excellent guidance."

Finn turned from where he was lining up his shot and smiled. "Happy to help." They took turns getting the ball through the obstacles while Rachel improved her game slightly. They were going from the ninth hole to the tenth when a photo booth caught Finn's attention. "You want to get pictures?"

"That sounds fun." In the short time she had spent with Finn, he had surprised her often. Most guys that she knew would not be interested in the photo booth; they wouldn't suggest it and they definitely wouldn't on a first date.

"Awesome." He rested his putter against the booth and pulled back the curtain, allowing her to enter before climbing in behind her. "What pose should we do first?" He asked.

Rachel thought while Finn put money in the coin slots. "Oh, I know." Rachel put her arm around Finn's neck and turned slightly, throwing her feet over his legs and lifting herself onto his lap so that they would be the same size. Their height difference was making it difficult to get a picture with both of them in it.

The small space inside the booth didn't allow for much elbow room and for that, Finn was grateful. Rachel had taken it upon herself to climb in his lap for the picture and Finn was not complaining. He looked ahead just in time for the first picture.

"Funny faces!" Rachel called out. They laughed and looked at the camera, each of them contorting their faces in the silliest ones they could think of. The camera clicked again and Finn laughed.

"Muscles!" Finn instructed through his laughter.

Rachel stayed in his lap and flexed her arm while Finn did the same, each of them adopting a serious look until the camera clicked for a third time. "Last one."

Finn was surprised when Rachel's lips connected with his cheek only a second before the camera clicked for the final time. And just like that it was done. Rachel climbed off his lap and exited the booth.

"That was fun!" Rachel said as Finn emerged and they waited for the pictures.

"It was." The two picture strips dropped to the tray and Rachel jumped in anticipation while Finn took them from the tray and handed her one. They looked at them at the same time, each of them take by silence while they looked over the photos. Finn couldn't decide which one was his favorite, each of them having its own winning quality. "They turned out good."

Rachel looked at her picture strip in awe. She and Finn were very different people and the more she found out about him, the more she realized how true that was. There was so much that they didn't have in common, but these pictures told a different story. Each frame showed them as a couple. Rachel especially liked the look on Finn's face in the last one. His wide eyes were a dead giveaway that he didn't expect her to kiss him and she loved that that moment was captured by the camera. "They are amazing. This one is my favorite."

Finn's cheeks flushed, partially from the memory of her lips on him and partially because of the look on his face. "I was surprised."

"I see that." Rachel picked up her putter and linked her arm through his. "Are you ready to play some more?"

"Yeah."

The rest of the game progressed smoothly while they continued to get to know each other better. By the eighteenth hole, it was evident to both of them that this had potential to be something, though neither of them was willing to admit it out loud. Yet.

The final hole surrendered their golf balls and Finn and Rachel returned their putters to the counter and collected their things from the locker before going out to the New York sidewalk.

"That was fun. I never thought I would enjoy something like this." Rachel said softly, her eyes still adjusting to the harsh difference in lighting.

Finn smiled as he tightened his jacket around him, beginning the walk to Rachel's theater. "I'm glad you did. I would love to go out again, sometime."

"I would like that."

"Yeah?" She nodded, her beaming smile almost blinding. "Is it okay if I call you?"

A slow smile spread across her features, the half-smile on his face making her heart beat a little faster while they walked. "Of course."

"I'll call you then. I had a great time today." He turned to smile at her as he reached over and took her hand while they continued down the sidewalk.

"I had a great time too. Thank you."

Finn squeezed her hand as they came to a stop in front of her theater and turned to face each other. "I'll call you soon?"

Rachel nodded and momentarily looked away from him so she could hide her smile. "I can't wait. Thank you for today. It was really fun."

"It was." Finn stepped a little closer and took her other hand, lifting it to his lips for a soft kiss. "Have a great show. Bye, Rach."

"Bye."

Finn stuck his hands in his pockets and when Rachel turned to enter the theater, he began making his way to Katie's school. He wasn't able to fight the smile on his face as the memories of the past few hours replayed in his head as while he made the trip across town. A small part of him wondered why her dads worried enough about her dating life to set her up with a stranger; he wondered if he would be able to pinpoint a reason while they were together. As the day wore on, he couldn't find one. The more he got to know her, the more he liked her and the more he wanted to know about her.

~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~

If you would have told Rachel that she would have started this week single and alone and finish it with dates with two different and handsome guys, she wouldn't have believed you. Somehow, relationships had become something that only brought her heartache. This time, though, she was going to take her time getting to know both of the guys she had met and try to make an informed decision after a few dates.

Her date with Finn had gone so well and she hated that she wanted to call off the one she had made with Blaine. She fought the urge though, vowing to herself that she would keep her date as planned and see where it went. Her usual path of jumping into a relationship full on after the first date would not do this time. She wanted to take her time and het to know both Finn and Blaine well enough that when the time came, she would make the right decision and hopefully settle down. She reminded herself of that, again, seconds before saying good night to Frank and exiting the theater.

Just as planned, Blaine was waiting for her outside the door. He was bundled up tight with a wool jacket and fluffy scarf wrapped around his neck. "Good evening, Blaine."

"Evening, Rachel. How was your show tonight?"

Rachel descended the concrete steps, pausing next to him for a second before he started to walk to the main sidewalk. "It went well, thank you."

"That's good. I wanted to tell you that you were really good in the show I saw; you have an amazing voice." Blaine complimented, recalling when he had seen her the previous week. Rachel's cheeks pinked at his compliment as they continued walking.

"I'm glad you enjoyed it."

Blaine smiled. "I did. I can tell you enjoy what you do. It's a nice change."

"Is that not common in your line of work?" Rachel stopped suddenly, causing Blaine to do the same before the entered the subway. "What do you do? I don't think I was able to find out before."

Blaine smiled and held his elbow out, inviting her to take it. When she did, they continued on their journey once again. "I'm a lawyer and usually there is so much fighting happening that we don't really get a chance to enjoy the good parts of our job."

"You are a lawyer?" Rachel couldn't believe her daddy had called that. What are the odds?

"Yes. Does that surprise you?"

"No, not really, I just…" There was no way for her to explain this without sounding crazy or rude, so she trailed off, hoping a subject change would save her. "What kind of lawyer are you?"

Blaine grimaced. "Divorce."

"That doesn't sound like you enjoy it much."

The two boarded the train and found an open spot where they could both sit. Rachel was still holding to his arm as he turned to look at her. "I enjoy being a lawyer. I was hoping to do something more… uplifting, I guess. My dad's firm was trying to expand and he hired me right out of school and put me to work on divorce cases." Blaine sighed and looked wistfully at the couple standing at the end of the car. The strangers had their arms wrapped around each other, leaning against the wall of the car for stability while they stole little kisses. "The problem is that I'm somewhat of a hopeless romantic and I'm worried that handling too many divorce cases might make me a cynic. I don't want that. I believe in marriage and love and all the things that go with it. Sorry. That kind of took a turn."

Rachel found it refreshing that a guy was so open with his romantic ideals. It was a nice change from almost every guy she's ever dated. "It's okay. I think… that in time you will get to be whatever you want to be."

"Thank you." The train came to a stop and Rachel and Blaine stood, having reached their destination. Blaine rested his free hand over Rachel's as it held onto his elbow. "Alright, no more of my whining." Blaine declared. He took a deep breath and turned to Rachel, smiling widely. "Tell me about what makes you, you." Just like that, the subject was change and the two fell into easy conversation that lasted until they were in their seats at the theater. "Have you seen both these movies?"

Rachel popped a kernel of popcorn in her mouth and turned in her seat. "Who hasn't seen _27 Dresses_? It might be my favorite movie ever."

"I know! The only thing that would have made it better is if they showed _The Proposal_ too, I suppose it doesn't really go with the 'wedding' theme though. _The Wedding Planner_ is a better fit for that, I suppose."

This movie theater was known for showing triple, and sometimes, double features that went along with a theme. Even though it was close to Thanksgiving, they kept one non-holiday themed showing in the schedule. Knowing Christmas movies were about to take over everything, it was nice to catch a normal movie. Tonight's midnight double feature had a wedding theme. "_The Proposal_ is the best. Anything with Ryan Reynolds in it has my vote."

"Yes, and Sandy is just… she really is like America's sweetheart." Blaine said, taking few M&M's in his hand.

"Sandy?" Rachel questioned.

Blaine sat up in his chair and turned to Rachel animatedly. "Sandra Bullock. I just love her."

She loved Blaine's reaction. His enthusiasm was fun to see and the fact that he was already so open with her, made her smile. "She's good." Even though Rachel didn't quite agree that the, admittedly good, actress was 'America's sweetheart,' she could agree with his enthusiasm. She even found his crush on her endearing.

The lights in the theater began to dim and Blaine straightened in his seat, eager to watch the movies. "Yay! The movie is starting."

Besides the occasional commentary and laughter, that was the last thing either of them said until the twenty minute intermission. When the first movie ended, they each took a restroom break and supplied themselves with fresh snacks before finding their seats once again. As the second movie began to play, the pair settled into their seats once again, content to enjoy the company and the movie.

When it was over, the couple exited the theater and Blaine escorted Rachel back home. "You made this a very enjoyable night Rachel, thank you."

"I had a lovely evening, Blaine. Thank you for inviting me out." She paused in front of her building and turned to face Blaine. "This is me."

Blaine looked up at the building and then to Rachel. He smiled and reached out, taking her into a tight hug. "I had a great time." He pulled back, letting go of her completely. No matter what happened with the two of them romantically, Blaine liked Rachel. She was a cool girl and he liked spending time with her. "Maybe we could do it again, sometime?"

"That sounds nice." Rachel retrieved her keys from her purse and smiled. "You have my number, right?"

He stepped back and fixed the scarf around his neck. "I do. I'll call you and we can maybe get brunch or something."

"Sounds great." Rachel turned and opened the door to her building, waving one last time before she closed the door behind her. She made her way up to her apartment thinking about how, in the short time she had spent with Blaine, it already felt as if he would be an important person in her life. Their conversation flowed easily, leaving no time for awkward silence; it was if they had known each other for years. She felt affection for Blaine and even though she didn't feel the same sparks that she did with Finn, she was happy with the way this night had gone.

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><p><strong>AN- Shout out to Raj and the Big Bang Theory for the Sandra Bullock line. I fully agree with Rachel on that AND Ryan Reynolds. Katie returns in the next chapter, which will likely come before Christmas! I welcome your non-hateful reviews. I love knowing that you are enjoying this. Much love.**


	5. Keeping it Casual

**A/N- Whoa. You guys sure do know how to make a girl feel loved. Thank you. Big love to my Twitter posse, Erica especially. Quick reminder that Blaine is a little OOC for right now, that is part of the plan. He is a big part of this story and later, I'll happily tell you why I chose him for this one. I don't want to spoil anything on that just yet. I hope you enjoy this chapter. Merry Christmas to all those who celebrate. **

**Disclaimer- I still don't own the characters, the music, Glee, or Because I Said So. The mistakes, however, are all mine.**

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><p>"Daddy, is Grandpa going to be there?"<p>

Finn tightened his grip on Katie's hand while they walked the last half a block to Kurt's condo. In the years past, the Hudson-Hummel family would celebrate the holiday on a different day, making accommodations for Finn's rotating schedule. This year, however, Finn's schedule allowed for them to celebrate Thanksgiving on the day of. He welcomed everybody coming together for the day; and most of all, he welcomed his mom's apple pie. "He is. So are Grandma and Uncle Kurt."

"Of course Uncle Kurt will be there; we are going to his house silly." Finn chuckled as Katie led him to the few steps that led to Kurt's place. She stepped up on the first step and sighed. "I missed Grandma."

"I bet she missed you too, Booger." Finn climbed up the steps behind her until they were standing in front of the festively decorated front door. "Do you want to ring the bell?"

She looked up at him with her big brown eyes and smiled widely, her finger already hovering over the doorbell. "Can I?" Finn nodded and the little girl pressed the button and stood back. She didn't have to wait long before her Uncle had opened it.

"Hello, brother dear. Hello Katie Kat." Kurt opened the door wider, stepping aside so that Finn and Katie could enter.

"Hi Uncle Petunia!" Katie latched onto his legs, hugging him briefly, before running away to find her grandparents. "Grandma, grandpa!"

Kurt stepped back further, allowing Finn more room to pass by him. He closed the door when he passed, watching as he started to remove his coat. "Why must you let her spend so much time with Puckerman?"

"Because you haven't quit your job to be my full-time manny yet." Finn smirked at him as he hung his jacket on a nearby hook, he could practically hear Kurt rolling his eyes behind him. Finn eyed the large turkey brooch perched on Kurt's sweater and smiled as he reached his hand out and tapped it. "Nice turkey."

"Thank you, it's vintage." Kurt looked down at the encrusted brooch then back to Finn. "And that's never going to happen."

"Then you better just get used to it, _Uncle Petunia_." He smirked again. It was times like this that he really loved having a brother. He and Kurt became brothers in middle school when their parents got married. The transition had been rough for them in the beginning but now he wouldn't know what to do without him.

"Or you could find a woman and get the poor girl a mother figure, maybe one that can help you dress in fashions from this season."

"You gave me this sweater!" Finn defended, following Kurt further into his immaculate living area. The white sweater had been a gift from Kurt last Christmas; that's the only reason he was even wearing it. Finn crossed his arms and looked smugly at his brother. "Not that that's any of your business, but I'll have you know that I have been seeing somebody."

"Oh yeah. Does she know about Katie yet?" Kurt folded his arms also. Most of the women that Finn had been out with bailed as soon as they found out he had a daughter. It seemed as though most twenty-something women weren't quite ready to be instant moms, which was unfortunate.

Finn nodded once while he tried to conceal the smile that was forming. "She does."

"Has Katie met her, yet?" Kurt knew his eyes were wide with shock. Whoever this girl was, he had to give her credit for not running away at the mention of Katie.

Finn shook his head. "Officially, no, but she will this weekend. We are all going out later this weekend." It was then that Finn's attention was drawn to his mother entering the room.

"What's this I hear? My Finny has a girlfriend?"

"Hey mom." Carole kissed Finn's cheek and hugged him before stepping back and waiting for an answer. "I have a date, not a girlfriend."

Carole looked to Kurt, who just shrugged, before turning back to Finn. "You are letting her meet Katie and she isn't even your girlfriend yet. Are you sure this is a good idea Finn?"

"We have only been out twice." Finn loved his mother and he loved that she was so concerned about him and Katie. "I don't want to get too serious if her and Katie can't get along." It was his thinking that they had already met and if he was going to be dating her, he needed to get both Rachel and Katie used to the idea of each other.

Kurt's arched his brow at Finn. "Is that something you are worried about?"

"Not at all, actually. There is something special about this one." He couldn't help the smile the crept over him. He really did believe that Rachel was special.

"Oh Finny." Carole gushed, covering her mouth.

Before Kurt could ask another question, he felt small hands wrap around his legs. "Uncle Petunia! Grandpa let me have a cookie. They have chocolate frosting on them." The little girl held up her hands showing the remnants of the frosting on her fingers while Kurt squealed, noticing the frosting on his slacks.

"Oh for Gaga sake! Come on; let's get us both cleaned up." Kurt rested a hand on Katie's back, leading her towards the bathroom so she could wash her hands and he could change his pants. Before he got too far away, he looked over his left shoulder at Finn. "Are you sure she's will be able to survive this?"

"I guess we'll find out." Finn said as the two disappeared into the bathroom. When they heard the water start to run, complete with Kurt's mutterings, Carole and Finn walked to the kitchen where Burt was just sliding the turkey back into the oven. "Hey Burt."

Burt closed the oven and wiped his hands off on a nearby towel. "Hi there! Did Katie get Kurt's pants dirty?" Finn nodded and Burt peeked out of the room. "Uh oh."

"Don't worry. He's used to it." As one of Katie's main caregivers, Kurt was used to cleaning up the little girl and had long ago given up the quest to stay perfectly clean. He probably already had a back-up pair of pants laid out.

Burt shook his head. "I better go hide. If you need me, I'll be watching the game in the den."

"Good luck." Finn shook his head while Burt made a show of sneaking out of the kitchen to avoid Kurt, waving quietly as he left the room. When he was gone, Carole turned her attention back to Finn.

"Tell me about her?"

Once Finn's mind caught up to his mother, a slow smile spread across his face. "She just… understands. She knows about Katie and she knows that she's my first priority. She doesn't want to get in the way of that, she's cool. Rachel isn't like the other girls, Mom; she's different."

Carole's eyes became teary as she recognized the hope in Finn's eyes. It had been a long time since she had seen that look and she welcomed its return. "You really like her, huh baby."

"Yeah."

She rested her hand on Finn's shoulder, showing her support. "As long as you are being careful. The two of you don't need any more heartache."

"I will be." Finn would be forever grateful to his family for all the support and care they had provided him and Katie. They were always there when he needed them, helping him to make the best of a bad situation. They never told him he was wrong, they only stood by him. He was fortunate to have such wonderful people in his life.

Carole sniffled subtly and looked down the hall where Kurt and Katie had disappeared. "You better go rescue your brother. I'll go protect Burt."

"I like my chances better."

As the five of them sat down to Thanksgiving dinner later that day, Finn found that he was more thankful than he had been in a while. His daughter was growing up to be a wonderful young lady, he had the support of his family, and he had hope for a new beginning in love.

~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~

"The tofurkey was excellent as always, Pumpkin."

Rachel finished what was left on her plate and dabbed the corner of her mouth with her napkin. "Thank you, Papa."

"I really like how you decorated the table this year; it's so festive. The flowers are a particularly nice touch." Leroy looked over the table and the now finished meal and once again admired the mixed bouquet of red roses and orange lilies. Every year, Rachel would decorate the table in festive fall colors, creating a warm and inviting place for their Thanksgiving meal. The flowers, however, were a new addition.

"Thank you."

He looked up just in time to see Rachel turn away with a small smile and red tinted cheeks. "Are you blushing?" Her smile only widened and her cheeks flushed more and he knew that he was correct. "You are! Did a boy send them to you?"

"That Blaine. Isn't he the sweetest?" Hiram placed his hand on his chest while reaching out to lightly touch one of the lilies petals.

Rachel stood from the table, stacking the soiled plates that littered the table in front of her. "He is sweet, but the flowers aren't from him. Finn sent them."

"Finn?" Both her fathers had been keeping tabs on her recent dates, but each of them assumed she had stopped dating Finn. It seemed that after the first date, all her focus had shifted to Blaine. "I thought you just went out with Blaine?"

"I did. And I saw Finn Tuesday." Rachel lifted the small stack of plates to the kitchen and turned on the warm water to fill the sink. She had purposefully not told them all the details about Finn, hoping to avoid telling them that he had a daughter. She just wasn't prepared to have that discussion with them yet. She chose to only disclose a few details about him.

Hiram joined her at the sink, closely followed by Leroy. "You are dating both of them?"

"For right now, yes I am." She put the plates in the sink and began washing the plates, hoping the simple task would keep her calm while her fathers interrogated her.

Leroy stepped closer, effectively stepping between her and Hiram. "Pumpkin, it's not fair to that Finn, you need to let him go and make it exclusive with Blaine. He is your future."

"You don't know either one of them. How do you know which one is right for me when I'm not even sure?" Rachel forcefully tossed one of the plates into the adjoining sink and glared up at Leroy, her serious tone and stern look caused him to step back slightly. Hiram placed a hand on his shoulder and stepped too his side.

"We are your fathers, we know things. Blaine is a lawyer and he can provide a good future for you. This Finn… his job is dangerous and who knows what that means for his future." Hiram lowered his voice while he attempted to dial back the tension and simultaneously make his point. Rachel needed to see that Blaine was the right fit for her; they had made sure of it. "Blaine is a better fit. You'll see."

Leroy smiled and reached out to Rachel while she finished the last of the plates from dinner. "You should invite him to your party."

"If I do, will you two drop it?" She turned, giving them a look that suggested that she was done with the topic.

"For now." Leroy said, smiling widely. "But you should really let Finn down easy."

Rachel groaned as she dried her hands. At this point she would invite Blaine just to get her dads off her case, luckily though, she had already planned on doing so.

She asked Finn already, he had to work that day.

~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~

"See, I told you I can spell it." Katie affirmed.

Finn nodded as he walked beside Katie, holding her hand. They were on their way to meet Rachel for ice cream and Finn was a little nervous. He didn't usually introduce Katie to the women he was dating, not that there had been many opportunities, but this time it came down to scheduling. They had both been so busy over the last week that if they wanted to go out, Katie would need to come with. He decided that maybe this would be a good opportunity to see if they could get along. He really hoped that they would. "You can. You did a great job."

"Does that mean that I can have five scoops of ice cream? I'm five you know." Katie held her hand up, spreading her gloved fingers apart and smiling widely.

Finn chuckled. It seemed that five was always the magic number. "I remember. Five scoops is a lot, where would you put them all?"

"In my belly." Her answer was swift and sure as she looked up at her father, waiting for his answer.

"I don't know. That's a lot. How bout we decide when we get there."

Katie nodded, satisfied with the answer and now concerned with the flavor. "Can I have mint chocolate chip?"

"I think we can do that." Finn stopped them outside the ice cream parlor and checked his watch. Now seemed like a good time to go over the rules again. "Okay, do you remember what I said before, about Rachel?" Sure, Katie and Rachel had met before, but that was when Rachel was Belle. Finn worried that Katie wouldn't be as open or friendly with Rachel, or worse, Katie would do what she did the first time they met.

Katie let out a breath and looked around Finn and into the store. "Yes, Daddy."

"Can you remind me?"

She took in a deep breath and rolled her eyes, ready to recite the things she had been told. "Rachel is nice."

"She is. Do you remember anymore?" Finn looked behind her, watching for Rachel and hoping to get through this one last time before she showed up.

"Umm? She is pretty?"

Finn smiled and nodded once. It was funny the things that kids come out of a conversation with. "She is, but that's not what I want you to remember. How are you supposed to act?"

"Like a big girl." She nodded, standing tall to demonstrate her willingness to do as she was asked.

"That's right. Can you do that for me, Booger?" Finn reached out and adjusted the knitted hat that was helping keep her warm.

She placed her hands on her hips and stood taller, her best serious look plastered on her face. "Of course I can, Daddy! I am a big girl. See?"

"Good job." Finn smiled. When she was a baby he was terrified of her and more so afraid of who she might grow up to be with him in charge. Then he had Kurt and Puck as caregivers and he worried more. But each day that magical fear inducing age moved further into the future and he found himself loving the child that she was now. He leaned in and kissed her head, noticing Rachel coming up from behind. "Alright, her she comes."

"Hi Finn." Rachel placed her hand on Finn's shoulder, greeting him before leaning over to say hello to Katie. "This must be Katie."

"Sure is. Katie, this is Rachel." Finn placed his hand on Katie's shoulder as she sought a hiding place behind Finn's legs. Gently, he coaxed her out, silently wondering why she was all of the sudden so shy. "Rachel, this is Katie."

"Hello, Katie. It's nice to meet you." When Katie didn't say anything, Rachel dug in her purse, looking for the small gift she had brought to break the ice. Rachel held out the small snow globe to a hesitant Katie. Belle was dressed in her signature yellow dress and when you turned the lever, she twirled in the confines of the clear globe while the music played. "I heard that you like Beauty and the Beast."

Katie nodded and hesitantly reached out for the gift. Finn and caught Rachel's eye and gave her an apologetic look; Rachel shrugged. The two had decided to keep Rachel and Belle as two separate people so that Katie's would not be confused, but right now Rachel was wishing she could use her job to get a leg up with the little girl.

"What do you say?"

Quietly, Katie mumbled, while studying the gift closely. "Thank you."

"She's not usually so shy." Finn said.

Rachel shrugged again, but she was determined to win her over by the end of their time together. "That's okay."

"Are you ready to go in?" Finn asked, receiving a small smile from Rachel while Katie began moving to the door, holding tightly to the new snow globe.

The three of them ordered their desired treat and found a booth they could get to know each other at. Aside from a small thank you to the kid behind the counter who hander her mint chocolate chip cone, Katie hadn't said anything. Rachel and Finn talked a little, keeping to small talk while they waited for Katie to come around. They hadn't gotten too far into it before Katie spoke up, quickly making Finn wish she hadn't.

"She has small boobies Daddy." She innocently licked her cone again, looking between the spinning Belle on the table in front of her and Rachel, who sat across the table from her. "Uncle Puck says ladies with small boobies can't be trusted."

Rachel leaned in, raising an eyebrow. "Oh really?" She had heard a lot about Uncle Puck, so this casual observation didn't completely shock her. It was more so that it was coming from the mouth of a cute five year old girl holding an ice cream cone. Beggars can't be choosers though; at least she was speaking.

"Daddy, what does 'trusted' mean?" Katie innocently licked at the ice cream again, and turned to Finn, eagerly awaiting his answer.

Finn wanted to face palm. Of course this is the first real thing his child says to his potential girlfriend. "It means that Santa won't be visiting Uncle Puck this year."

"Oh." Katie's eyes went big as she looked at Rachel.

"It's okay." Rachel mouthed to Finn. Now that she was talking, albeit not the most appropriate subject matter, Rachel took the opportunity to keep her talking. She started out with every kids favorite subject; themselves. "So Katie, what grade are you in?"

Just like that, Katie perked up, ready to make Rachel her new best friend. "I'm in Kindergarten. Teacher says I'm really smart."

"I bet she's right."

Finn breathed a sigh of relief when the two were able to start a conversation. He licked took a bite of his ice cream and joined them, hoping to keep it going. "Katie already knows most of her sight words."

"Its cause I'm smart."

Rachel winked at Finn and jumped back into it with Katie. "You must be if you know all those words." She took a bite of her dairy free dessert. "I like your shirt; it's really pretty."

"Hey, what about mine?" Finn joked.

"Yours is nice too."

Katie looked over at her dad's shirt and shook her head, causally taking a bite of her cone before addressing Rachel again. "Uncle Petunia doesn't like it. He says it makes daddy look silly."

"He does huh?" Rachel played along, amused at the look on Finn's face.

"Hey, when did he say that?" Finn asked, turning to Katie more fully.

She shrugged, taking a bite of the soggy cone in her hand. "When you wore it last week."

Finn glanced quickly at Rachel when he heard her giggle from across the table. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I don't know." The little girl shrugged, taking another bite of the cone.

"Thanks a lot, Booger."

Rachel giggled again and reached out to place a comforting hand on Finn's forearm. "Well, I like it even if Uncle Petunia doesn't."

"Thank you."

Katie eyed the way Rachel rested her hand on Finn's and she smiled widely. "Daddy, does this mean I helped you pick up a chick?"

~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~

"What do you want to sing?" Rachel watched as Blaine flipped through the pages of the well-used binder. He had told Rachel that he liked to sing and she insisted that their next date be at a karaoke bar. Though she sang everyday as part of her career, it was something she truly enjoyed, especially when it was in a laid-back setting.

Blaine, however, was terrified. He sang, he even though he sounded pretty good, but he sang privately, alone. This was different. The bar was full and there was a stage, with microphones. "I don't know. I don't think I can do this, not without some liquid courage anyway."

"I think that can be arranged." Rachel nodded and raised her hand in the air, noticing Blaine turning the page out of the corner of her eye. "Waitress."

Two shots later, Blaine was still searching the book for a potential song. He found a few that he sang regularly, but none he was willing to sing in a room full of strangers. "I still don't know."

"What if we sing the first one together?" Rachel could tell that Blaine was holding back a part of himself. After a few dates with him, it was safe to say that she liked him how he was, but she felt as if he wanted to be more. He had already told her about the sacrifices he had make professionally she wondered which ones he was making personally. Granted, it was only karaoke, but maybe it could help him be more of himself. The self he wanted to be.

"I don't know."

Rachel placed a hand on his shoulder and nudged a shot towards him. "Come on. It will be fine. I'll even let you pick the song; which I hardly ever do."

"Alright. What about this one?"

He tapped the book, timidly pointing to Duran Duran's _Rio_. Rachel smiled and nodded once, happy with his choice. "I think we can do that one." Blaine smiled and the pair talked over sounds of the tone deaf singers while they waited for names to be called. It was a couple more shots before they were called to the stage. "That's us."

The opening notes to the classic 80's song played on and Blaine clutched the microphone while Rachel began the song. She turned to him, the microphone close to her lips as she sang on while encouraging him to join her. When he finally did, she was pleased to hear that Blaine was a pretty good singer and with every note, he was getting more and more into it. By the end of the song, he was working the stage, and the crowd, like he spent every day up there.

"That. Was. Awesome. I'm going again." He declared, sifting through the song choices once again. Though he longer needed the courage that came with it, the alcohol continued to flow freely between the two of them causing them both to be well past sober when they took the stage again. Blaine opted for Katy Perry's _Teenage Dream_, followed by an extremely inebriated version of _Call Me Maybe_ done by Rachel.

Rachel came off the stage, stumbling through the crowd as she stood beside Blaine, wrapping her arm around his neck for support. She downed the shot waiting for her at the table.

"You were so good." Blaine slurred. "So good. Singing is fun."

Rachel giggled, burping loudly as she opened the book again. "Singing is fun. I knew you would like it. Oh! This one is perfect. Sing with me Blaine Warbler, this song only works as a duet."

Blaine quickly agreed and soon after they were downing one last shot before heading back to the stage. Blaine confidently started the song while Rachel danced beside him.

**You were working as a waitress in a cocktail bar  
>When I met you<br>I picked you out, I shook you up  
>And turned you around<br>Turned you into someone new  
>Now five years later on you've got the world at your feet<br>Success has been so easy for you  
>But don't forget it's me who put you where you are now<br>And I can put you back down too.**

Rachel joined in for the chorus and they expertly took on the rest of the song like they had been singing together forever.

Don't. Don't you want me?  
>You know I can't believe it when I hear that you won't see me<br>Don't. Don't you want me?  
>You know I don't believe you when you say that you don't need me<p>

The song continued on with each of them dancing around, playfully engaging each other while on stage. By the final lines of the song they were standing toe to toe, alternating the lines between them.

**Don't you want me, baby?  
>Don't you want me? Oh!<br>Don't you want me, baby?  
>Don't you want me? Oh!<strong>

The foggy alcohol infused haze of her brain and the nature of the song left Rachel with only one option. She leaned in, stopping only a breath away from his lips, and waited for him to close the remaining distance. He leaned in softly touching his lips to hers while they stood on stage. When they pulled back, a slow smile spread across her lips. "Your face tastes awesome."

As Rachel woke the next morning, she began to piece together the events of the night before. She remembered meeting Blaine at the bar, she remembered inviting him to her birthday party, she remembered getting him to sing, and she remembered the shots. A hazy memory of more songs and more shots moved to the forefront of her mind, including the memory of the kiss she shared with her date on stage. She groaned, the noise causing her to groan again while the implications hit her. The only comfort she had, was knowing that she had come home alone last night.

Dating two guys had its challenges and Rachel had been determined to keep them both at a distance until she was able to choose between them. In order to keep it fair, she had promised herself that she would not allow herself to surrender to either Blaine or Finn, but under the hazy control of last night's shots she had lost control. She knew that she liked Blaine, he was everything she had been hoping to find in a boyfriend and he had the most to offer as far as stability. Finn, though, he was fun and forced her to be better, but an instant family was not a complication she had factored in. She wasn't sure if she was ready to be a parent yet, no matter how great Katie was.

What she was sure of, was that she needed to figure it out and she needed to figure it out soon.

* * *

><p><strong>AN- So... remember? OOC? I really loved the "Blame it on the Alcohol" episode and clearly I drew from that here. Later, you'll see why this was important (even if you are gagging a little right now). It all has a purpose, I promise. **** Again, Merry Christmas. I am off work until after the new year, so there could be a lot of progress happening here(unless Santa distracts me with shiny new toys). You know that ****I love me some non-hateful reviews. Much Love!**


	6. Think About It

**A/N- So we meet again, I hope you all had a great Christmas! ****I appreciate the kind words for the last chapter. My Twitter posse is pretty awesome, Erica especially. She ends up having to put up with most of my crazy. Blaine is still OOC, so keep that in mind.**

**Disclaimer- I still don't own the characters, the music, Glee, or Because I Said So. The mistakes, however, are all mine.**

* * *

><p>Rachel took in a deep breath as she lifted her gloved hand to the closed door in front of her, knocking a few times. When it opened, Finn was standing there in a maroon button up shirt, tan slacks, and a blue apron. "Hi."<p>

"Hi there." He stood in the opened doorway just on the other side of the threshold where Rachel waited. Her long hair was curled slightly and pulled over one shoulder, resting over the knitted scarf wrapped around her neck. Finn stepped aside, letting her in to his apartment. "You are just in time. Please, Come in."

"Thank you." Rachel smiled and took a step inside the apartment, immediately noticing the elegant table scape in the dining room. "Finn…" She breathed, stepping further into the room. The table had set for two, candles flickering in the center. The soft sounds of classic rock could be heard in the room, filling the quiet space.

Finn closed the door and stood behind her, resting his hands on her shoulders as she took it all in. "I wanted to do something special for your birthday." He leaned over slightly while she undid the oversized buttons on her pink pea coat. "Can I take your jacket?"

"Thank you." Rachel turned slightly, softly shrugging the jacket from her shoulders before unraveling the scarf from around her neck. Finn took them both and turned back near the door while Rachel stepped closer to the table.

Though, her actual birthday wasn't until next week, Finn wanted to take her out to celebrate. He worked the day of her party and on her actual birthday and since he was currently working nights, his days were spent sleeping when he could. Between the two of them, this was the only time that they could get together. Finn got a babysitter and decided to cook her dinner at home; something she had mentioned that she likes.

Finn placed his hand on the small of her back, leading her closer to the table. "I made spaghetti and garlic bread; don't worry, I didn't use meat or anything."

"I'm sure it's delicious." He pulled out the pulled out her chair, inviting her to sit before making his way to where the food was staged in the kitchen. "You have a lovely home." There was a Christmas tree set up in the corner and various pictures of Katie hung on the walls, bringing a smile to Rachel's face. Finn was obviously proud of his daughter and Rachel knew that he worked hard to provide for her. She knew how much he struggled with making sure Katie was cared for when he worked his long shifts and she respected how much he loved her. She looked over at him, now without the apron and holding a plate of spaghetti in each hand.

He set the plates down and looked around his apartment and then smiled at Rachel. "Thank you. It isn't much, but it works for Katie and me." He turned back to the kitchen, quickly returning with a bottle of wine. Finn held it out, displaying it in his arms as he had seen done on TV before. "Wine?"

"Yes please." She held her empty glass up, holding it steady while Finn poured. While Finn filled his own glass, what looked like Katie's school picture caught her eye. "She really loves you."

Finn followed her line of sight and smiled at the smiling face of his daughter looking back at him. "I hope so." Finn held his glass to her and she lifted hers in a silent salute before they each took a sip. "Please." He gestured to the plate in front of her and watched as she twirled the noodles on her fork.

"She's a good kid." Rachel blew gently on the pasta and took a bite, immediately impressed with the flavors.

Finn began preparing his bite, giving Rachel an incredulous look. "Even after she insulted you? More than once."

Rachel giggled as she wiped the corners of her mouth. "Yes. She's a kid and kids are notoriously honest. Have you forgotten that I interact with kids her age almost every day?"

"That is true." Finn chuckled, taking another bite from his plate.

She delicately tore a corner from one of the pieces of bread, holding it delicately between her fingers. "This is really good. Have you ever cooked vegetarian before?"

"I have a few times. Lopez is a vegetarian so we try to make sure there is something for her when she is on duty." Firefighters have a reputation for being great cooks; Finn did not feel as if he was one. Being a single father, he knew how to cook enough to get by. He could cook a mean macaroni and cheese and he could make chili, other than that he could only pretend.

"She?" Rachel couldn't explain it. Finn was not her boyfriend and she was not his girlfriend, yet she found herself a little jealous of a woman she didn't know. She knew it was silly but she couldn't help herself. She sipped from her wine glass, desperately trying to move her mind elsewhere.

"Yeah. She is a firefighter on C shift. Once in a while she'll come over to A shift to cover for someone." Finn smirked, noticing how quickly Rachel tensed at the mention of a woman at the firehouse. He found it adorable that she was unknowingly overcompensating for it, by taking small quick sips from her glass.

"She sounds nice."

He leaned closer to her, hoping his next words would calm her. "Her girlfriend works in the office." There was a bit of pride when he saw Rachel visibly relax.

Rachel looked down at her plate, hiding the smile that had formed. "Oh."

"Are you excited to join me in the 30's?" Finn glanced at her in time to see her shake her head and groan while she twirled pasta on her fork. "Was that a no?"

The loaded fork dropped to the table with a clang and Rachel sighed. "Is it as horrible as everybody says it is?"

"What?" He raised an eyebrow, curiously awaiting her answer.

"My friend Tina turned 30 over the summer and she lost it." Finn laughed, looking at her like she had grown another head since the start of dinner. This was a serious thing to Rachel. Normally, she loved her birthday, but this year she was scared. "I'm serious. She dyed her hair and got new clothes; she joined one of those eccentric dating sights for rich people. She stepped up her manhunt overnight. It was crazy."

Finn raised an eyebrow and leaned closer to her. "Wait, there is dating site just for rich guys?"

"Finn, I'm serious. What if that happens to me?" In the past month or so, Rachel had found herself worrying about all the things she had said she was going to do before she turned 30. Some of them, like Broadway, she had done just as she said she would; however, there were others that she felt she had failed at. She was running out of time to make them happen and that terrified her.

"Do you have plans to join a dating site and dye your hair?" It was clear that Rachel was really worried about this and he understood. Turning 30 was the first time most people took stock of their lives and found themselves looking at the promises they had made in their teens. Finn knew, because he did the same thing. "Look, the week before my 30th birthday I was depressed. All I could think about was all the things I thought I would have by now, but didn't. Then I realized what I did have. Once I figured out how good I had it, 30 was great. You just need to focus on the good things. Trust me, 30 is awesome."

Rachel smiled knowing that she was not alone in her worries. His advice was wonderful; she needed to focus on the ways she succeeded instead of her perceived failures. "Thank you." She picked up her discarded fork and continued eating while her mind wandered to the good things in her life right now.

"How is the party planning coming along?" Finn asked, finishing his meal.

Rachel twirled the last bit of pasta on her fork. "It's going good. I think it's all ready, at least I hope so. It's too late to turn back now."

"I guess it would be cutting it close." Finn fell silent for a brief moment while he inwardly cursed his schedule. "I'm sorry I can't make it."

Rachel shook her head, answering him with actions before she spoke the words. "It's okay. I don't know if you would enjoy it; it's more my kind of party, anyway." She raised her glass to him again, waiting till held his out and connected the two. "Thank you."

"It's my pleasure." They each sipped from their glasses and Finn stood. "How about some cake?"

She watched as he retrieved a small platter with small cake on it from the kitchen and she stood from her seat. "You made a cake too? Finn…"

"No way. I wanted it to taste good. I bought one." Finn shook his head and stood in front of her, holding the cake out for her to inspect.

Rachel leaned in closer so she was easily able to read the pretty writing on top that simply said 'Happy Birthday Rachel.' The fact that he cared enough to make her a meal that was specific to her diet and have a cake made for her, was so heartwarming. She already knew that Finn was special, this just helped to prove it. She looked away from the cake and locked eyes with him, whispering through her gratitude. "It's beautiful."

"You are beautiful." He replied, leaning closer as he lowered the cake. Their lips met in a sweet and tender kiss that only lasted a moment, but it left them both with quickened heartbeats. "Happy birthday, Rach."

~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~

A small smile formed when Rachel noticed family and friends gathered inside the restaurant where she was having her birthday party. Blaine stood beside her, holding out his elbow, smiling when she took hold. "Are you ready to party Miss Berry?"

"I am." Blaine had picked her up at her apartment a little while ago, bringing her a lovely bouquet of flowers and a scarf for her birthday. After the last couple days of pre-birthday celebrations, Rachel was becoming more and more excited about the prospects of turning 30. She no longer dreaded it; in fact, she found that she was looking forward to the new adventures it may bring. "Did I warn you about my dads already?"

"You did, don't worry, Doll, I can handle it."

Rachel smiled, seeing her dads inside and hoping she would be able ease Blaine into meeting them. She led him inside, waving at some of her friends as she entered the dimly lit space. "There's Brittany." She and Blaine stopped in front of the tall blonde, who hugged her immediately. "Hey Brit."

"Happy Birthday."

She stood back, threading her arm back through Blaine's while she properly introduced the two of them. "Thank you. Brittany, this is Blaine. Blaine, this is Brittany, she works in costumes at the theater."

Blaine reached out and delicately shook her hand. "It's nice to meet you Brittany."

"You seem nice." The blonde said.

"Thank you?" Blaine look at Rachel in question, she just shrugged.

Brittany stepped closer and touched one of the gelled curls from his head. "Your hair is really stuck like that, huh?"

"Yeah." Without turning his head, Blaine looked over at Rachel, who was holding back a smile.

Brittany smiled, flicking his hair one more time. "Lord Tubbington won't allow hair gel at our house, he's allergic."

"Lord Tubbington?"

Rachel held back her laugh, taking delight in Blaine's confused expression. "He's Brittany's cat."

"I think he'd like you, if you washed your hair."

"Um, okay?"

Rachel laughed and reached out to hug Brittany, ready to mingle with more of her guests. "Thanks for coming Brit, be sure to save me a dance."

"You got it."

"Nice to meet you." Blaine said before they walked away.

She led Blaine around the reserved dining area, introducing Blaine to more friends and family as they went. She noticed her dads circling the room and avoided them as long as she could. Before too long though, they caught up to her.

"Who's your friend, Pumpkin?" Leroy said, eyeing Blaine with a knowing glint in his eye.

"Daddy." Rachel warned before turning to Blaine and mouthing 'sorry' to him. She saw the look in her dad's eye; she had a feeling that they were going to be worse than usual. "Blaine, these are my fathers, Hiram and Leroy. I apologize in advance for anything invasive that they may say." Rachel knew her fathers were prone to invasive questioning of her dates, but ever since she mentioned Blaine to them they had taken a special interest in him. Without meeting him, they had already decided that he was her future. She always respected their opinions, but she wished they would give Finn the same optimism they had given Blaine. Blaine was great, but she found herself thinking of Finn more and more. "Daddy's this is Blaine, my date."

"Blaine is it?" Hiram asked, raising an eyebrow as he extended his hand to the young man.

Blaine took his hand, shaking it and playing along as if the three of them had never met. "Yes. Blaine Anderson."

Rachel watched on as the three men shook hands, greeting each other with a fine exaggeration. Something about it seemed odd to her but she couldn't pin point it. Why were her dads so adamant that Blaine was the one for her?

"How nice to meet you. Our daughter has told us that you are a lawyer, is that right?" Leroy looked over at Rachel, proudly asking the question that he already knew the answer to.

Blaine nodded. "Yes, Sir."

"Sir? I think you found a good one, Pumpkin." He moved closer to her, nudging her with his elbow.

Rachel rolled her eyes at the older man and tightened her grip on Blaine's arm "Papa, behave."

"What? I'm simply saying that Blaine seems like a nice boy." He backed up slightly, feigning his innocents.

Rachel let out a calming breath, trying to keep herself from losing her cool in front of the room full of guests. "He is a nice boy."

"I know, I just said that." Hiram said, amused.

"He is a nice boy" she started, keeping her voice low. "But you just met him. You don't know anything about him."

Leroy and Hiram shared a look, before Hiram spoke up. "You're right. We did just meet him." He turned to Blaine. "So Blaine, you are a lawyer, with impeccable hair; what else should we know?"

"Well, uh, I'm an only child. I'm practice law at my dads firm. My parents are still married. And I think Rachel is pretty cool."

Hiram and Leroy looked at each other again, each of them wearing similar smiles. "That's good enough for us, Pumpkin."

"How many children would you like to have?" Leroy added.

Rachel's eyes went wide as she interrupted before Blaine could answer the question she couldn't believe her father would ask at all. "Alright. Blaine, do you want to dance?"

"It's your birthday." He smiled, happy to take her out of the situation that was clearly aggravating her.

She and Blaine took a few steps before she turned back and gave a stern look to her parents. "I'll deal with you two later." Before they could make it to the dance floor, Blaine led her to the bar and ordered her a drink so that she would calm down. "Sorry again."

"Don't be." He smiled, leaning on the bar while they waited. "You are lucky to have parents who care so much about your happiness." The bartender slid the drinks across the bar and Blaine moved Rachel's in front of her.

"I don't know if that level of care makes me lucky." She scoffed, sipping the pink cocktail liberally.

He watched on, sipping from his apple martini. "It does, trust me." He sat in the empty barstool, inviting Rachel to do the same. "Not everybody is lucky enough to have parents that care so much about our happiness."

"I guess. I just wish they would care with a little more discretion." She answered, taking her seat next to him. She was already calmer than she had been a minute ago.

The restaurant was relatively quiet, except the private dining room to the side where Rachel's party was being held. The dancing was not set to start for another half hour so they had some time to talk before the place got too noisy. "Not all parents care about their kids' happiness."

"I don't know if that level of care makes me lucky." Rachel didn't want to bring down the festive atmosphere of the party, but her father's meddling was getting to her tonight. She fought away the belief that she knew that they would not have been as friendly if she had brought Finn tonight.

"It does, trust me." Blaine said, thoughtfully sipping from his drink before continuing. "Not everybody is lucky enough to have parents that care so much about our happiness."

Rachel looked over at her dads who were mingling in across the room. She loved them and she respected them. So much of who she is, is thanks to them. "I guess. I just wish they would care with a little more discretion."

"I can appreciate that. I think all parents want their kids to be happy, but over the years they create a vision of what that means to them. It's nice that yours have taken into account what makes you happy. Not all parents do that."

Rachel tilted her head and looked at him curiously. She reached over and patted his shoulder reassuringly. "I'm sure your parents want you to be happy."

"Only if it fits with my dad's vision of happiness." He said bitterly. He finished his drink and held the empty glass to the bartender for another.

"What does that mean?"

He sighed and looked over at her dads. If it wasn't for his own dad, he might be in a totally different place in his life; scratch that, he would definitely be in a different place. He might still be a lawyer and he might not be, but whatever he was doing, it would have been solely his choice. "Just that he doesn't really agree with some of the things that I think would make me happy."

"Have you talked to him?" Genuinely interested, Rachel encouraged Blaine to continue. She knew he and his dad had their issues, but this was the most he had talked about it.

Blaine sighed and silently thanked the bartender for his refilled drink while Rachel looked at him sympathetically. "I've tried, he hasn't listened so far."

"I'm sorry." Her own parental problems seemed to be less of an issue now and hearing how Blaine did not feel like he was allowed to live his life in a way that would make him happy. She glanced at her fathers once again, smiling at them when they caught her eye. She turned back to Blaine, hoping to make him feel better like he had done for her. "Maybe it's time you stop doing what makes him happy and focus on what makes you happy." Rachel rubbed his shoulder once again. "You deserve to be happy on your terms."

"Thanks Rachel."

"Just think about it, okay?"

They both stood and grabbed their drinks, ready to join the party once again. "I will." He promised.

The rest of the evening was spent dancing with friends. She talked with her fathers, forgiving them, but also making them promise not to be so invasive. They, of course, agreed but Rachel didn't figure that it would be long before they were back to their old ways. Now though, she felt like maybe that wasn't so bad.

~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~

Finn stood outside the school, watching as the throngs of children exited the building. Katie had just got out of school and he was waiting for her to meet him at their usual spot by the tree. It wasn't long before she was standing in front of him, bundled in her jacket with her backpack hanging off her shoulders. "Daddy! I missed you."

He bent down, stretching his arms out for a quick hug. "I missed you too, Booger." He said while standing. The little girl took his hand and they began the walk towards home. Cold days like this, Finn wished that living in New York allowed for him to own a car. Being the week before Christmas, the air was cold and it was not pleasant to be in. Even so, owning a car in this town was not practical; walking was often the best way to get around and there was plenty of public transportation. "How was school?"

She shrugged her shoulders, excitedly taking the lead while never letting go of his hand. "Good."

"Did you learn anything new today?" He asked, hoping to get more than her usual answer.

She nodded enthusiastically, "Yep."

"Like what?"

"I don't remember."

Finn laughed, that was exactly the response he expected. This was a typical afterschool conversation for him and Katie. She always said she learned something new, but she rarely remembered what, at least not right away. He knew from experience that it wouldn't take long before she would remember something and he would learn about every detail of her day. He squeezed her hand while they continued walking. "Did anything fun happen at school today?"

"We made Santa Pictures."

"Oh yeah?" Katie nodded seriously at Finn. "Did you bring it home so I could see it?"

She skipped alongside him, holding tight to his hand while they closed in on home. "Nope. The glue is still all wet. Remember last time when I put something with wet glue in my backpack?"

"I remember; it's probably best to keep in in your classroom until it's dry." The activity from school that day was cut and glue some pictures on a piece of paper to make a book, the problem was that large amount of glue had not dried when it went into her backpack. It had glued itself to Katie's notebook and the inside of the backpack, creating a mess. It wasn't hard to clean up, but it was avoidable.

She nodded, completely in agreement. "Yeah."

The two arrived home, continuing to talk about the day while they removed the hats and heavy coats that they were wearing. As per their normal routine (when he picked her up from school), she got a small snack and they sat on the couch so that Finn could read her a book. Her homework was to read for at least twenty minutes every night, but since she couldn't read yet, it was Finn who did the reading. They were halfway through the book about what happens when you give a mouse a cookie when Finn's phone rang, interrupting the story. "Hold on, Booger." She removed herself from under his arm and sat up, allowing him to get to his phone more easily. "Hey Kurt."

_"__Finn, I'm not going to be able to take Katie until later tonight. I'm stuck at work."_

Finn sat up on the edge of the couch, trying not to panic. "What?"

_"__I know, I know. Olivia needs me to finish this project before I leave tonight and it is nowhere near ready."_

He rubbed his face with his hand, mentally going over his options, which were limited. "Crap."

_"__Can Puckerman keep her until I can get out of here?"_

Kurt's help was appreciated but Finn shook his head, even though he couldn't see him. "I don't think so. He had to do inventory tonight."

_"__I'll leave as soon as I can."_

A sigh could be heard from Kurt's end and Finn knew he felt bad. It wasn't often that Finn was left in these types of situations, he was incredibly lucky that way. When they did arise, however, they were harder to cover. "Alright, I'll see what I can do, thanks for letting me know."

_"__I'm sorry."_

Despite his predicament, Finn smiled. He was really grateful to have Kurt. "It's okay; I'll talk to you later."

_"__Bye Finn."_

Finn said a final 'bye 'and pressed the end button. He leaned back, blowing out a breath as he looked up to the ceiling while he thought about what he could do. "Do you work today, Daddy." Katie asked innocently while she flipped through the pages of the book.

"I'm supposed to." Finn said, silently wondering to himself if he could call Puck or if he should just call in to the station and say he would be late. He went back and forth between the two until his phone rang again. He answered it eagerly, hoping Kurt had gotten out of work. "Hello?"

_"__Hi Finn."_

Rachel's melodic voice met Finn's ears and he smiled. "Oh hey, Rach." Her call was a welcome distraction to his current dilemma, if only a temporary one. He still needed to figure out what to do. For now though, he was going to wish the woman he was dating happy birthday. "Happy birthday."

_"__Thank you. Is everything okay? You sound distressed."_

Unable to hold back, he smiled at her observation. "I'm fine."

_"__You're not fine."_

He's sure she was shaking her head while calling him out. "I am… It's just that Kurt is supposed to have Katie when I go to work tonight and he just called and said he was going to be working late tonight."

_"__Don't you go in at seven?"_

"Yeah. Kurt had a bunch of last minute stuff come up and probably won't make it till after that. I guess I need to call into the station and let them know I'll be late." He barely was able to finish his sentence before she replied, her voice sure.

_"__I'll keep her."_

Finn was surprised that a woman he had only been on a few dates with was willing to help him; on her birthday. "Rach, I can't ask you to…"

_"__You didn't; I offered."_

She made a good point and this would really help him out, but he still felt bad pawning Katie off on her. "I know, but…"

_"__But what? I'm off work and otherwise unoccupied. Why wouldn't I help you?"_

"It's your birthday. I can't drop this on you on your birthday." This was the best argument he had. It wasn't that he didn't trust her with Katie or that Katie wouldn't behave, it's just that they were only dating. She wasn't technically even his girlfriend.

_"__That's right, my birthday. And spending a few hours with Katie will be a fine way to celebrate. Just say yes."_

Her tone left no room for argument and he conceded. The truth was, this was a solution that helped him a lot. "Okay. But you have to let me make this up to you."

_"__Deal."_

* * *

><p><strong>AN- Well, that could be interesting, huh? Next chapter has a whole lotta Katie and some decisions will be made. I think you'll like it. Chances are it will be up on Thursday. Non-Hateful reviews are always welcome. Much love. **


	7. Decisions

**A/N- HAPPY NEW YEAR! You guys! This is my favorite chapter and I'm so excited to share it with you. Thank you for all the love on this story, I really hope you enjoy this one. As always, thanks to my Twitter homies. I'm gonna let you get to it.**

**Disclaimer- I still don't own the characters, the music, Glee, or Because I Said So. The mistakes, however, are all mine.**

* * *

><p>In the short couple of hours since Rachel had volunteered to look after Katie, her mind had conjured up all of the different ways she could screw it up. While most teenage girls were babysitting to earn their money, Rachel spent that time taking extra music classes and teaching piano lessons. She was questioning her qualifications for taking care of someone else's kid. As she heard the faint sounds of Finn giving Katie some last minute instructions, she found herself panicking more. She knew how to interact with children, but did she really know how to take care of one?<p>

Finn reminded Katie of the rules that they had already gone over twice before while Rachel looked on. He hugged her one last time and kissed her head before standing. He moved to where he was standing directly in front of Rachel. "Are you sure about this?" He said quietly.

"Of course, Finn. Don't worry about us girls, we'll be fine." She moved across the room, stopping next to Katie. "Right, Katie?"

Katie gave one sure and official nod. "Right. Don't worry daddy."

Finn looked between the two and his heart sped up. The two of them next to each other was getting to him in ways he didn't think were possible. Before he could overthink it too much, he kissed Katie again and placed a light kiss on Rachel's cheek. "Thanks again and happy birthday. Call me if she gives you any trouble." He looked over at Katie. "Be good, I love you."

"I will daddy, love you too."

He grabbed the bag he had by the door and slung it over his shoulder, placing his hand on the handle. "Kurt should be here around 9:30."

"I got it. Don't be late." Rachel said, shooing him out of the apartment. She was still scared, but she wanted to prove to herself, and Finn, that she could do it. Nothing like jumping into the deep end.

"Bye Daddy. Be safe."

Finn smiled at Katie and Rachel, "I will. Bye, have fun." He opened the door and slid out quickly, hoping to avoid letting in too much cold air. As he made his way to his subway station, he wondered how allowing Rachel to care for Katie changed their relationship; or if it did at all. He chose not to dwell on it, worried that he might overthink it.

The door closed behind Finn, leaving Rachel and Katie alone in the apartment. Rachel took a deep breath and clasped her hands in front of her, turning to face Katie. "So… What do you want to do?"

"Is it really your birthday?" She asked skeptically.

Rachel tightened the grip her hands had and smiled. "It is."

"We should have cake and ice cream. That's what we always do when it's my birthday."

"I know." Rachel peeked at the clock, though logically she knew that it was still early. She crossed the room to where she had discarded her coat when she came in. "Let's get bundled up. I know where we can get some good cake."

Katie ran to her room and came back a moment later dragging a scarf and hat while she tried to get the zipper on her coat to work. "I can do it." She proclaimed, seconds before engaging the zipper correctly and pulling it up as far as she could. Once the hat and scarf were on, she pulled a pair of gloves from her jacket pocket and put them on. "I'm all ready."

"Okay." Rachel pulled her own gloves on and grabbed her purse and the keys Finn said were for the door. Katie walked out first, waiting for Rachel as she locked the door. The two made it to the sidewalk and Rachel took a step and was startled when she felt Katie's small hand take hers. "Oh."

Katie tightened her grip on Rachel's hand and looked up at her. "We're sposed to hold hands on the side walk, specially when it's dark."

"Of course." Rachel was suddenly wondering if this was a good idea. How did she not figure out that she should hold her hand right now? She shook it off and she and the little girl continued to the bakery that Rachel had in mind. Rachel asked her a few questions about school and her friends, effectively helping to pass the time until they arrived at the bakery. By the time their cake and hot chocolate came, Katie had told Rachel all about Kindergarten.

Katie looked between the chocolate cake in front of Rachel and the cake in front of her and raised an eyebrow. "How come your cake is different than mine?"

"Mine is vegan." Rachel looked between the two cakes and noticed the different decorations, which was no doubt the reason for Katie's question. "Mine doesn't have sprinkles though." She took her fork and pierced it through the pointed end of the cake, readying her first bite.

"What does vegan mean? Does it mean that you don't get sprinkles?" Katie asked, barely getting the words out before stuffing a forkful of cake in her mouth.

Rachel giggled and sipped from her coffee cup. "Kind of. A vegan is someone who doesn't eat meat." Technically, there was far more to being a vegan and Rachel was a vegetarian. She did contemplate making the switch to veganism at one time, but she decided against it when she realized how difficult it would be. During that time, she found this place and fell in love with their vegan chocolate cake; the rich chocolate cake was just delicious no matter your diet.

"There's meat in regular chocolate cake?" Katie inspected her cake, looking for signs of meat with wide eyes.

Rachel reached across the table stilling the little girl near frantic hand. "There's no meat in it. It just means that my cake doesn't have eggs or milk in it."

"Oh." Katie looked thoughtful for a minute while she took another bite. "Don't you like eggs and milk?"

She shrugged and took a small bite of her cake. "Sometimes."

"Good. Uncle Puck says ladies that eat special foods are high mantanse. Are you high mantanse?" Unaware of the inappropriateness of her question, Katie continued eating her cake, sipping her hot chocolate innocently.

Knowing what she does about Uncle Puck, Rachel smiled and chose not to answer the question. Instead, she changed the subject. "I bet Uncle Puck doesn't even believe in princesses, huh?"

Katie's eyes went wide when Rachel mentioned the recent point of contention between her and her uncle. "He doesn't. He says they aren't real. But I know that they are real. I met one."

Rachel smiled and leaned in closer. "My friend is a princess; her name is Belle."

"You know Belle?" She asked in disbelief.

"I do." Rachel sat up and sipped her coffee before continuing. "I could get you tickets to her show, if you want." Katie nodded her head rapidly, her cake forgotten while she waited for the details. "I'll send them to your dad."

"Wow." Rachel took delight in the little girls face. She was surprised and happy and excited and it made her happy to know she had done that. "Rachel?"

Rachel smiled, "Yeah, sweetie?"

"Can I try your cake?"

She laughed and pushed the plate over to her, allowing her to take a bite. "Do you like it?" Katie nodded, chocolate ringing her lips. It wasn't too much longer before Rachel and Katie had found their way back at home, she didn't want to keep her up too late since she had school the next day. After a brief phone call with Finn, who called to check on them, Rachel had Katie changed into pajamas and head off to bed. Before she could sleep, Katie asked Rachel to read her a story and Katie was fast asleep shortly after nine.

The book she had stowed in her purse kept her company until a soft knock sounded at the door around 9:45. Rachel set her bookmark and went to the door, peeking through the peephole to see a pale man in a knit cap. From the pictures, she recognized him as Kurt and unlocked the door, allowing him in. "You must be Finn's girlfriend."

"You must be Uncle Petunia."

Kurt rolled his eyes, placing his bag down by the couch. "I can't believe they got to you too." He extended his hand to her, shaking it gently. "I'm Kurt Hummel; Finn's brother."

"Rachel Berry, Finn's…" She didn't quite know how to finish that. She wasn't his girlfriend, but she was more than a friend. This was the grey area between the two and if there was a word for it, she didn't know what it was. She let the awkwardness hang between them, choosing not to finish the sentence.

"Girlfriend." He supplied, crossing his arms in front of him.

She shook her head, adamantly denying the claim. "Not girlfriend."

"Yet."

Rachel was able to stave off the further questioning long enough for her to get home, but the question lingered in her mind. Did she want to be Finn's girlfriend? And if she did, what would that mean for Blaine? She liked them both, in wildly different ways. Blaine was a friend, they could talk about anything and she felt a connection with him, but with Finn? With Finn, it was more than that. She could talk to him too, and she definitely felt connected to him too but she also felt like there could be more between them if she would stop being scared and go for it. But was the same true for Blaine? Was there potential for more with him too and she just wasn't trying hard enough?

She really needed to figure this out, because she knew one thing: she couldn't continue to date two guys for much longer.

~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~

"Omph." As Finn's ass hit the cold ice for what had to be the fiftieth time, he inwardly hoped that no one saw him fall; again. He briefly wondered why he was here at all, he was a terrible skater, but when he looked up and saw Rachel skating towards him, it was easy to remember. Her skates expertly strode on the ice, bringing her to a stop in front of him where she reached her hand out to him, her smile blinding.

Rachel looked down at Finn, waiting for him to take her offered hand. "Come on, Finn." She and Finn were skating side by side, looping the oval ice skating rink as they talked. When she looked to her side and saw that he was no longer there. She turned back, noticing him on his butt and turned back to help him up. In the hour or so she and Finn had been here, he had spent roughly half of it sitting on the ice. She dug in her toe pick as he took her hand and lifted himself off the ice, groaning all the while.

"I don't think I have the coordination for this."

Rachel stood in front of him as he tried to find his balance again. "You can do it." Rachel took hold of both of his hands, holding steady as she started to slowly move backwards on the ice.

"Rach, what are you doing? When I fall again, I'll crush you." He followed her, mentally trying to keep upright while also making sure Rachel wasn't going to run into anybody. He was a little embarrassed at being led around the ice by the hands, but the feeling of her so close to him, more than made up for it.

"_If_ you fall again and I'm not worried." She winked at him, cautiously navigating the turn hoping to keep him upright. "You are doing fine."

During one of the first conversations he and Rachel had, Rachel had mentioned how much she loved to go ice skating. Though Finn had only been a handful of times many years ago, he thought it might be fun to take her. He didn't realize how different their skill level would be; the first clue should have been that she owned her own skates while he had to rent some. Even with all of his falling, he didn't regret coming here. He looked down at his feet and then back to Rachel and wobbled slightly. "Right now."

"Just keep following me." It was endearing to Rachel that Finn was still on the ice with her. He fell a lot, but he got up every time. He seemed frustrated, but he just kept trying. Rachel respected that and she wanted to help. She kept her skates moving backwards, helping him stay steady while they moved. Rachel increased her speed little by little, helping Finn to gain confidence on the ice. After a loop, she moved to his side, taking hold of his hand as they slowly navigated the rink. They made it around a few more times before the cold air in their faces became too much; the knitted scarves that they were wearing were no longer proving effective. They exited the ice and found their way to an empty bench to rest on.

"You did great out there."

Finn smiled at her, stopping in front of the bench and gesturing for her to take a seat. "Only because you helped." Rachel sat and Finn lowered himself in the spot next to her, shifting to get situated. "Ow."

"What?" Rachel looked at him, alarmed. She quickly calmed when he began shaking his head.

"Nothing." He stated, shaking his head and mentally wondering if he had an actual bruise on his behind. "I think I just bruised my butt out there."

Rachel held back a laugh and reached over to rub Finn's shoulder. "Poor baby."

"Hey. I'm really tall and the ice is a long way down." Rachel laughed while Finn shifted again, alleviating the pain slightly. He looked out to the ice and then back to Rachel, who was still giggling a little. "You want to skate some more?"

Rachel surveyed the ice once more and looked at her watch. "I have time, but I think I'm done. Did you want to skate more?"

"No. I'm good." The pair changed out of their skates and adjusted their jackets, hoping to find some extra warm in them. Finn returned the skates he had rented and as they left the park, Finn took hold of Rachel's hand. He fingers wound with his, bringing emotional warmth to both of them as they walked. "You still have some time before you need to be at the theater, would you like to go back to my place for some hot chocolate?"

This was a rare afternoon for Finn. It was the weekend before Christmas and Finn's mom had made it to town last night. Carole insisted on taking Katie for the afternoon so they could see a movie and go out for some shopping. Carole made it clear that it was to be a girls day left him to make his own plans. The way she winked at him, though, led Finn to believe that this is exactly what she had intended for him to do his afternoon.

"I would like that."

They talked and laughed as they made it back to Finn's apartment hand in hand. The warm air of Finn's apartment was a welcome change to the frigid air outside. Finn went inside, shedding his coat as he made a beeline straight to the kitchen so he could start the hot chocolate while Rachel stayed in the living room to remove her coat.

"Marshmallows?" He called out from his place in the kitchen.

Rachel removed her scarf and placed it near where her coat was next to Finn's. She heard Finn but couldn't make out what he was saying. She stood behind him in the kitchen and asked him to repeat himself. "What?"

Finn turned to see Rachel standing only a couple feet behind him and his hands stilled. He stared for a moment, before shaking his head slowly. "Marshmallows. Do you want some in your hot chocolate?" Rachel smiled and nodded and he turned back to his task, stirring the hot chocolate. Even though he had spent the last couple hours with her, they had both spent that time in extra layers. Seeing her in those tight jeans and that sweater made him wonder if he would ever get used to how gorgeous Rachel was. He brought himself out of his thoughts and placed a small handful of marshmallows in each cup before handing her a cup

Rachel wrapped both hands around the hot mug, her cold hands welcoming the temperature change. "Thank you." She took the time to admire Finn. She admired the way his broad chest and shoulders were prominent in the deep red of the solid sweater and licked her lips. She felt her cheeks flush and moved the hot liquid closer to her face in hopes that the steam would help to mask her blush.

"You're welcome." Finn's lips quirked up into a half smile, highlighting the dimple on his left cheek. He brushed past her, silently inviting her to follow. He clutched his mug, making his way to the couch with Rachel close behind him.

The air suddenly thick as Rachel sat beside him on the couch. She carefully sipped from her cup, making sure not to burn herself. "You did well today."

"No I didn't; I bruised my butt." They laughed together and Finn sipped from his cup, taking in a few marshmallows in as well. "You were the pro out there." Rachel shrugged, turning away to sip her hot chocolate and hide her blush. "Don't deny it; you brought your own skates."

Rachel placed her cup on the table and turned to face him. "Those skates were a gift, Finn Hudson."

"Well…" Finn started, placing his cup next to hers. "That gift helped you skate circles around me today." He rested his elbow on the back of the couch and leaned in, his focus divided between Rachel's eyes and her lips.

The chill that Rachel had when she entered Finn's apartment was long forgotten as she leaned closer to Finn and all at once it seemed as though it was now too hot in the room. She noticed his eyes quickly glancing at her lips and she looked at his, closing the gap further. "I didn't." She whispered.

She was close enough that Finn felt her breath on his lips when she spoke and Finn leaned in further, leaving only a breath between them as he spoke again. "You did." He didn't leave her time to respond before his lips were on hers.

As their lips pressed together, a soft sigh escaped Rachel. Her sense of touch had completely taken over as she felt Finn's hand gently graze her jawline. She moved her hand to rest on his neck while his other hand wrapped around her waist and pulled her closer. She shifted, allowing herself to get closer to him on the couch. She could feel her heart beat increasing with every movement of his lips and when their tongues met for the first time, she thought it would pound out of her chest.

Finn wasn't sure how he had gone so long without kissing Rachel like this, but right now, he was making up for lost time. She was pressed against him where they sat on the couch, her small hand resting on his neck, just below his ear. He shifted slightly, hoping to adjust the position, because as close as she was, he didn't feel like it was close enough. He leaned further, pressing Rachel into the couch as he slowly rested over top of her.

She settled back while they both took a brief moment to get comfortable and catch their breath. "Are you still worried that you'll crush me?" Rachel asked, her breathing labored.

Finn sat up quickly, alarmed that he could be hurting her. "Am I?"

Rachel smiled and grabbed his shirt, pulling him back down. "It was a joke, relax. I'm fine." Her lips were back on his as soon as the words left her. As his large frame settled on top of her once again, she welcomed the intimacy that it brought. It had been so long since she had felt this way during a kiss. Even if he did crush her, which he won't, it would be worth it if his lips were on hers.

The positions shifted on the couch, allowing for each of them to have the upper hand at different times. Their kisses changed from sweet, slow pecks, to hard insistent kisses and back, making sure to get everything in between while they made out like teenagers on Finn's couch. It was becoming harder for Finn to keep his control, his hand had been on her ass for the last ten minutes and he was doing everything to keep from taking this further. He wanted to, he really wanted to, but this was only the first time they have made out and Rachel had to work soon. Rachel. Work. He pulled away, trying to talk while she peppered his face with kisses. "Rach. Rach."

"What?" She asked, not bothering to detach her lips.

"Don't you gotta…" He kissed her again, pausing mid-sentence to enjoy her taste once again. "…get to work?"

Rachel shot up, frantically searching for a clock before remembering she had a watch. "Crap. I gotta go."

Finn stood up, fighting to regain control of his body so he could help her. They clumsily put on her coat and scarf and he kissed her hastily before she walked out the door.

Finn plopped himself back down on the couch and stretched his hands behind his head and tried to regain his breath and bring his heart rate back to normal. It was probably for the best that Rachel had to be at work. He's not sure he would have been able to hold back for much longer and he wanted her. He wanted her bad. But first, he would like to officially make her his girlfriend. Though, at this point, he hoped that was just a technicality.

~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~

It was clear to Rachel when she woke up the next morning that she needed to stop seeing Blaine. She felt it yesterday when she left Finn's in a rush and it was confirmed at intermission when her lips still tingled from his touch. After the show, she laid awake kicking herself for letting herself get this involved with two men and trying to decide how to let Blaine down gently. She figured that the best thing she could do was be honest with him, so she called him as soon as she could the next morning and asked that he come over so they could talk.

She was just putting the last of her morning dishes away when her doorbell rang, signaling Blaine's arrival. She wiped her hands on her dish towel and straightened her shirt trying to steady her nerves. She had never broken up with anyone before, if you could even count this as a break up. She stood with her hand on the handle of the door and took in a deep breath, letting it out slowly as she opened it. "Blaine. Thank you for coming. Please come in." Rachel moved out of the way, allowing him in while her hand held tight to the handle.

"Rachel. Thanks for calling."

Rachel closed the door and waited for Blaine to hang his coat before gesturing for him to sit. "Can I get you anything? Are you thirsty?"

"I'm fine." Blaine sat and nervously wiped the palm of his hands on his pants.

The fact that Blaine was acting nervous only made Rachel more nervous as she sat across from him in her living room. He kept wiping his hands on his pants and he won't look at her and its making her uneasy. She's trying to figure out why he could be nervous… unless he wants to break up with her. Honestly, that would help Rachel to feel better about what she was doing. She and Blaine were great together, as friends. Rachel couldn't deny that and she didn't want to. Blaine was a great guy and they had a lot in common, just because she didn't want to date him, didn't mean she didn't want to see him at all. She hoped he understood.

"Blaine…" She wasn't sure if she should start with small talk or just get to it. She watched him take in a deep breath of his own as if he was getting ready for her to say it. That's when she decided to end his misery. "I can't be your girlfriend."

"I'm gay."

"I think you're great and I would like to be your fr…" It was at that moment that Blaine's words met her ears. "What?"

Blaine sat up, leaning closer to Rachel, no longer nervous. The words were out and he felt more like himself that he ever did before. "I'm gay. I'm sorry to tell you like this and I'm sorry if I hurt you, but I heard what you said at your party about doing what makes me happy. You were right. I can't continue to live for my dad; I need to live for me."

"Blaine…" Tears began to fill Rachel's eyes as she saw the change in Blaine immediately. He was liberated and it looked good on him. It also explained so much about their relationship. They got along so well, yet he never made a move on her. They didn't hold hands or kiss, they linked elbows and hugged. Their relationship has always been platonic and Rachel was just now realizing it. Now that she wasn't blinded by her fathers and the pressure to make it work. "I'm so proud of you."

Blaine noticeable relaxed and moved to sit next to her on the couch. "You're not upset?"

"No. I'm happy for you."

"Really?"

Rachel nodded and turned a little so she could face him better. "Of course. In case you missed it, I brought you over here to break up with you." They both laughed through their misty eyes and Rachel chose to tell him everything. "About the same time I met you, I met another guy. I have been dating you both since then, but last night." Rachel was unable to keep the smile while she recalled the memory. "Last night, I knew for sure that he is the one I want to be with. I'm so sorry."

"Don't be." He shook his head and smiled, genuinely happy for his friend. "I'm a little surprised that your dads would pick two of us, but I guess I understand giving you options."

Rachel tilted her head in confusion. "My dads? What do they have to do you and Finn?"

He knew he shouldn't but that didn't stop him from telling her anyway. She deserved to know. "Your dads put out a personal ad looking for someone for you. They interviewed some people, including me, and they set it up so we could meet and you wouldn't know."

"Your VIP ticket…"

Blaine looked away sheepishly as her mind connected the dots. "I'm really sorry."

Rachel was beyond angry as her mind sorted out the details of the last month. She had a million questions, most of which were for her fathers and Finn, but Blaine was the only one here right now. "Why did you answer the ad if you are gay?"

"My dad. He wants me to settle down and find a nice girl. You know, white picket fence and all that. He just doesn't understand and I thought this would be easier. When I saw that two men were looking for someone for their daughter, I knew that they- and possibly you- would be accepting if I ever figured myself out. I assure you that I didn't want to hurt you. You are great, so great that you got me to realize that I am worthy of my own happiness and not just my dad's. You did that. But I am sorry if I hurt you, that was never my intention."

She softened a little listening to him. She could understand why he did it and she appreciated him talking to her about it now, before it got too real; for her anyway. "Thank you. I think I understand. I think things will be clearer after I speak to my fathers."

"Thank you for listening." Blaine stood, moving to where his coat was hung up. He put his arms through the sleeves and buttoned it up. Rachel opened the door and allowed him to exit into the hallway.

"Thank you. I hope you'll continue to call me; as friends." She leaned out of the doorway, keeping her foot extended behind her, and she reached out to him, taking hold of his elbow. Being careful not to get locked out, she placed a lingering kiss on his cheek. "I hope you find your happiness."

Blaine smiled and mouthed a thank you to her before turning to the elevator.

Finn was pissed. How could she? He left Katie with his mom so that he could go talk to Rachel and, hopefully, make things official with her. He waited until late morning, knowing she wouldn't be up until then; he even picked up flowers on the way, in hopes of surprising her. Instead, he was the one who was surprised. When he got off the elevator he saw Rachel affectionately saying goodbye to another man. She was touching his arm and kissing him right there in the hallway. Knowing that Rachel is usually just getting up about now, it appeared that this guy had spent the night. If he didn't know better, he would swear it was one of the guys her dads interviewed, Brain or something. Instead of waiting around for the humiliation, he entered the stairwell and stomped down all six flights. He walked through the lobby, kicking a chair as he passed by and sending it several feet from its usual location. The flowers he bought were angrily thrown in the trash can on the street as continued stomping down the sidewalk and eventually, home.

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><p><strong>AN- Well? Did you call it? Poor Finn is mad as hell and as usual a poor defenseless chair gets hurt. Next chapter should be up Monday or before! Love you guys and your non-hateful reviews. Much love. **


	8. Yelling

**A/N- Seems that you guys like furniture kicking Finn. Thanks for all the love. This chapter is a little short, but it's important! Special thanks, as always, to my twitter posse, Erica especially. **

**Disclaimer- I still don't own the characters, the music, Glee, or Because I Said So. The mistakes, however, are all mine.**

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><p>Rachel felt the thin layer of fresh snow crunch below her feet as she made her way to Finn's house; the more she thought about what Blaine had told her, the more she found herself needing to find out about Finn's involvement, if there was any. After Blaine left, she went inside and began to dissect the last month that she had been dating Blaine and Finn. Both meetings appeared to be random, but they were both places her fathers knew she would be. Whenever Finn was mentioned to them, though, they would try to bring the conversation back to Blaine; giving her the idea that they were team Blaine. However, she couldn't figure out where Finn fit into the equation. Was he a part of this to; was he part of her dad's plan?<p>

As angry as she was, she probably should have stayed home to cool off a bit before confronting anyone. Instead, she found herself standing on Finn's doorstep and lifting her shaking hand to knock. She took a step back and crossed her arms in front of her while she waited for him to answer.

Finn sat on his couch with his head in his hands, commiserating about the turn his day had taken. He had hoped to be making out with his girlfriend right now; instead he was hurt and angry that he had been played. A knock sounded at the door and he begrudging stood from his seat of misery and looked through the peep hole. Rachel was standing on the other side, looking less than pleased with her arms folded in front of her. He set aside his shock and placed his hand on the door knob, taking a deep breath before opening it. Normally, he would invite her inside, especially since it was cold outside, but this time, he stood in the open doorway mimicking her defensive posture. "Rachel."

"Finn. I need you to tell me the truth. Do you know anything about the personal ad my fathers published?" His hesitation and the guilty look on his face told her everything she needed to know. "So you did know. Why didn't you tell me?"

Of all the reasons Finn thought she might be here, this was not one of them. Even though he was angry, he knew she noticed the flash of guilt that passed over his features. He had reasons to be angry, too. "You mean like you told me about your other boyfriend?" Finn kept his arms crossed and leaned his shoulder on the door jamb, waiting for her response. When her mouth opened and closed a few times, he knew he had her cornered. He smirked, leaning down slightly while his anger bubbled inside of him. "Yeah. I know all about the pretty boy you've been seeing."

"For your information, there is nothing going on between me and Blaine."

Finn leaned down a little further; he wanted to make sure she knew that he saw. "That's not how it looked this morning. What kind of a name is Blaine anyway?"

She stood taller, placing her hands on her hips as her anger grew. She could tell him about her and Blaine's relationship and that she broke it off with him so she could be with Finn; not that it mattered because he was gay. Right now, he didn't deserve an explanation. "How dare you, Finn Hudson! You know nothing of my relationship with Blaine. Whatever you think you saw, you didn't. What were you even doing at my house anyway?"

"I trusted you Rachel. I trusted you with my heart and my daughter." Finn pulled at his hair, his frustration getting the best of him. "Do you know how hard that is for me? Do you know how long it took for me to start dating again? I wanted to be with you because I thought you were different."

Rachel's heart broke a little at the mention of Katie. Part of having Finn in her life, was having Katie as well; Rachel had not only fallen for him, she had fallen for Katie too. Maybe it was best that this ended before the little girl was really hurt. "How do you think I feel? My fathers interviewed men for me to date, Finn. They humiliated me and you were a part of it."

"I was going to tell you."

The anger had turned to hurt and her eyes welled with tears. "When?" A tear rolled down her cheek and she sniffled while wiping it away. "You know what? It doesn't matter." She shook her head in hopes of holding off the onslaught of tears she knew was coming long enough for her to get away. "Goodbye, Finn."

Finn stayed silent as he watched her turn and walk away. He thought about stopping her, about talking to her and finding out what had gone wrong, but he knew he needed to let her go. Her frame became smaller as she walked down the snow covered sidewalk and Finn waited till she disappeared from his view completely.

By the time their conversation had ended, Finn's anger had turned to sadness. Only a couple hours ago, he was ready to ask Rachel to become a more prominent part of his life, and now she was gone. Probably forever.

Her tears continued to fall against her wishes while she made her way to her father's house. With only a few days before Christmas, the streets were crowded and instead of wading through the crowds on the subway, she hailed a cab. When the yellow car pulled up, she gave the man the address and sat quietly, hoping to regain her composure so that she could yell at her fathers properly. Still, the hurt from her fight with Finn was weighing heavy on her heart when the cab pulled up in front of the brownstone. She paid the driver and stood in front of the building trying to figure out what to say. When her anger had returned to a sufficient level, she rang the doorbell.

"Hey Pumpkin, come in." Hiram moved to the side, allowing a steadfast Rachel to breeze past him and enter the house.

"Who was at the door?" Leroy entered the room, a book in his hand. "Oh, hey Peanut. What brings you by?"

Rachel was now on the other side of the room, leaving her fathers standing by the door. She crossed her arms and turned, facing her fathers with a look that held little room for argument. "Were you ever going to tell me?"

The men shared a worried look and then looked at their daughter. "Wh-what do you mean, Pumpkin?

"Don't 'Pumpkin' me. I know about the ad." She paced the elegant living room while her anger continued to bubble to the surface. "What were the two of you thinking?"

Hiram gave his husband a look and took a step towards Rachel, it was obvious she was angry and he could understand why. "We just wanted to see you settle down with someone who deserved you." He reached out and rubbed her shoulder, hoping the action would calm her down. "Did something happen with Blaine? Did he hurt you?"

"No. You did." She took a step back so he was no longer touching him. "You two humiliated me. Do you know how embarrassing it is to find out that the guy you have been dating was hand-picked after an interview with your dads?"

Leroy stepped forward, hoping he could defuse the situation. "Peanut, it wasn't like that…"

"Are you saying you didn't interview potential boyfriends for me?" She squared her shoulders, standing tall and showing them that she wasn't going to back down.

His eyes went wide and it was then that he truly saw how mad Rachel was. Her cheeks were red and her lips help a tight line while her eyes were filled with hurt and rage and he knew they were going to have to tread carefully. "We did, that's true. But our intention was not for you to get hurt." He reached out to her and gently ushered her to the sofa so they could sit. Rachel reluctantly sat between the men, who were desperately trying to calm her while also trying to get out of trouble.

"We have seen you hurt too many times before." Hiram added.

Rachel stood abruptly and resumed her pacing in front of the sofa where her fathers still sat. "I am not a child. I do not need my parents putting ads in the newspaper for me."

"It was an online ad." Leroy supplied, his voice quiet and weak, earning a stern look from Hiram.

Rachel stopped her pacing and folded her arms again. "That is not better." She yelled. She began to move again, stopping after a few steps to remove her coat. Her anger was keeping her plenty warm in the heated house; the thick winter coat and her angry pacing were causing her to sweat. "I am a grown woman who is perfectly capable of finding my own dates."

"We know that." Hiram reached out, pulling her arm gently in hopes she would sit. She pulled back, clearly still extremely upset. "We thought things were going well with you and Blaine?"

"Oh, things were going great with me and Blaine." Rachel stepped back, further distancing herself from the men so she could vent completely before they calmed her. She knows they have a way of getting her calm before she is able to fully release her anger and this time, she wouldn't give them the satisfaction. "We went out on dates, he paid for everything, and he treated me really well."

The men looked at each other, confused as to why, if they got along so well, she was so mad at them. Their plan worked! "I don't understand, Peanut." Leroy said timidly.

"Blaine was the perfect gentleman, you should be proud. We had a lot in common; including our taste in men." Rachel didn't know for sure if that last part was true, but she said it anyway. She stood up straight and folded her arms tightly in front of her, waiting for them to connect the dots. She knew when their eyes went wide and their jaws dropped that they had picked up on what she was saying.

They sat in silence for a few moments; the men silently wondering why Blaine would answer their ad and how they didn't notice before that he was gay. They also felt bad for their daughter. "How… How did you find out?"

"Blaine told me." She resumed her pacing, her anger returning as her mind wandered to Finn. "I understand Blaine. On paper, we are perfect, and at this level of meddling, your insanity helps me to understand why you chose him." She stopped and turned to the men and placed her hands on her hips. "What I don't understand is why Finn? If you already chose Blaine, why send Finn, too? Were you hoping for one of us to get hurt?"

The men shook their heads, adamantly and silently denying their connection to Finn. "What do you mean? We didn't send Finn. We have never met him."

"He already told me everything, Papa." She turned away, her anger increasing at their denial. "What I don't understand is why you would choose someone who already has a daughter for me. It's one thing to play with me and my emotions, but when an innocent child is part of it, it's different. Katie is a great kid; she doesn't deserve any of this."

Leroy stood, followed by Hiram, and they moved to stand next to her. "Katie? Who is Katie? Peanut, we didn't set you up with him."

"Wait?" Hiram said, looking first at Rachel and them to Leroy. "You don't suppose the tattooed guy in the coffeehouse eavesdropped do you?" Leroy looked puzzled, so Hiram elaborated. "Remember? The guy who sat behind us in the coffee shop that day…" He turned his attention to Rachel when he saw the flash of recognition on Leroy's face, but Rachel was still confused. "When we were interviewing potential suitors…" He paused, giving Rachel an apologetic look before continuing on. "There was a man sitting behind us. He told us that he had a daughter and that he was single, I wonder if it's the same guy?"

Rachel looked between them, hardly believing what she was hearing. "So what you are saying is that, Finn overheard you and then tried to get you to set me up with him? He did even know me?"

"And he hadn't seen the ad, either." Hiram added.

"You should know that he tried to tell us to stop. He though we were arranging your marriage."

Leroy and Hiram started to chuckle at the memory when Rachel gave them both a look. "Isn't that exactly what you were doing?"

"Not really. We were only trying to get you to meet a nice man. We weren't forcing marriage on you; that decision was and is solely yours." Hiram hoped that she believed him. He could tell that, more so than the ad, Rachel was upset with losing Finn; assuming that's what happened.

Rachel put on her coat, her fathers only confused more. She believed them, but she wondered why Finn came looking for her. "The choice was mine; it is too bad that you ruined my chance to make it." She slipped her arms through the sleeves and made her way to the door, both of the men not far behind. "Don't think I have forgiven either of you. I'm going home; I'll call you when I no longer want to yell at you."

Considering how angry she was when she arrived, Hiram and Leroy considered themselves lucky. Knowing her that way they do, she was second guessing whatever fight she and Finn had had because of the information they had given her. They didn't know what had happened specifically, but they hoped she realized how much she liked Finn before it was too late.

~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~

When Carole had arrived with Katie, she noticed Finn's obvious change in demeanor from when she had left him earlier in the day. Carole asked if he was okay and when Finn told her he was fine, she pretended to believe him, leaving him and Katie to their day. Finn knew that she didn't believe him, but she appreciated her leaving him be. He needed to process all that had happened and figure out where to go from here.

"Me and grandma went to the cookie store."

Finn sat beside Katie on the couch while she watched the ridiculous talking Santa dog movie for what had to be the fiftieth time. Katie asked if she could watch it and since Finn was still lost in his own thoughts, he agreed without hesitation. "Oh yeah?" His response was less than enthusiastic, he knew it was.

When Rachel left, Finn couldn't help the sadness that he felt. He tried to push it aside and tell himself that it had only been a month but his mind kept reminding him how great that month had been. They had some great times together. She was good with Katie and Katie liked her too. Until this morning it had seemed that his romantic life had taken a turn; the turn he had been hoping for ever since Quinn left.

"They had cookies in all kinds of shapes. Mine was a Christmas tree."

Finn nodded, blankly looking at the TV screen. "Uh huh."

"Grandma had the candy cane kind." Katie kept telling him about her day, though her eyes never left the screen. She loved spending time with her grandma and grandpa, especially since they weren't in town that often. And with only a couple more days until Christmas, her enthusiasm was increasing by the minute.

Finn looked over at the tree, the lights mesmerizing holding his attention for a moment. "Yep."

Katie turned, leaving the space where she was cuddled up with her dad. She sat up on her knees next to him, temporarily forgetting about her movie. "Daddy? Are you sad?"

That got Finn's attention. He turned his eyes away from the tree and looked at his little girl. "Just a little."

"Why?"

Finn sighed. He knew she wasn't dumb, but he hoped she wouldn't notice his change in demeanor. This was exactly why he had kept out of his dating life. This time though, he had failed. "It's complicated, Booger."

"Are you gonna cry? Sometimes I cry when I'm sad."

Finn smiled and shook his head. "I don't think so."

"That's good; Uncle Puck says that you're a sissy if you cry." Katie sat back in her seat, ready to resume her movie as if it was the only thing she could say. "He says I can, cause I'm a girl."

Finn shook his head and kissed Katie's head, chuckling slightly as he lay back. "Thanks Booger."

"You're welcome, Daddy." She said, smiling proudly. Finn chuckled again and the room fell silent, except for the sounds of the movie, while Katie settled back into her spot so she could watch the movie. Finn watched the screen as the dogs in the movie talked (yes, talked) about saving Christmas. For a few moments, he was thinking about how dumb the movie was instead of his failed almost relationship. It wasn't long before Katie sat up and broke the silence again. "Are you sad cause of Rachel?"

"What?" It was always surprising how much the five year old knew. Adults often acted like kids were out of touch, but he never though that about Katie. She was innocent and lacked a filter, but she was very observant. He held his arms out to her, inviting her into his lap; an invitation that she gladly accepted. "Booger…" He started, unsure exactly what he was going to say. "Why do you think I'm sad because of Rachel?"

"Because, Daddy. You and her are friends. You said you was gonna go talk to her."

Once again, Katie proved to Finn how smart she was. "Oh."

"Do you think she will take me to get cake again? Uncle Puck says that we can have cake anytime, it doesn't has to be someone's birthday." She shifted in his lap, smiling from ear to ear. "Can she?"

The room was suddenly hot as Finn shifted, hoping he could ease the uncomfortable situation with the gentle movement. "I don't think she will be able to take you for cake anymore."

"Did you two get in a fight?" She asked quietly.

"Ya." Finn was trying to give Katie as few details as possible in hopes that she would lose interest and go back to the movie. She was not backing down though. He wanted to be honest, so he didn't back down from her questions. It was important to him to that she trusted him, even in matters like this. One day, they might be her own relationship troubles.

Katie smiled innocently. "You can say sorry. That always helps. When Emily butted in line at school, I was mad at her. Then she said sorry and we was best friends again."

"That's good advice, Booger." Finn hugged the girl tightly, thankful for the chance to talk with her. "When do you think we went bowling last time?"

Katie's eyes went wide. "It was a long time ago. Maybe even ten years."

"I bet we could go tomorrow." Katie nodded her obvious enthusiasm showing. "Maybe we could see if Grandma, Grandpa, Uncle Kurt, and uncle Puck can come with us, too?"

She jumped off of his lap, making flinch when she stepped on his inner thigh. "Yes!"

It was surprising how much Katie's words had gotten to him. It was hours later and her words were still rolling around in his head: 'say sorry.' As he lay in bed that night he found himself wondering if it was that easy. She told him that there was nothing going on between her and Blaine and that he was mistaken in what he had seen. What if she was telling him the truth and the whole thing was a misunderstanding?

He had set out in the beginning to find her and tell her what her parents were up to. He knew it was wrong not to tell her, but he found himself falling for her and chose to keep it from her. She had every right to be upset with him and if she was telling him the truth before, it was only him who was in the wrong. He rolled to his side and silently cursed the alarm clock resting on his bedside table. It was two am and if he was going to take his family bowling tomorrow, he was going to need some sleep.

Rachel rolled over and looked at the clock by her bed. She sighed when she realized that it was now two am and she was no closer to figuring out how to move forward. She had been home from the theater for a while now, lying in bed and thinking about the events from the day; the day that started off with so much promise had quickly gotten away from her. Even though she was sure that her day had garnered her a good friend, she had lost Finn in the process, and on top of all of that she was still so mad at her fathers. She believed that they didn't send Finn and she understood her dads; they were just sticking with what they know. What she didn't know was: what was Finn's motivation, why did he go to the trouble?

She tried to force herself to sleep, knowing she wouldn't have the answers tonight.

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><p><strong>AN- There you have it; everybody is wondering what to do next. I can vouch for the suckiness of that Santa dog movie. My kid has been making me watch it (and the sequels) since June. I want to thank the guest reviewer who was constructive and NOT hateful; gives me hope. I do so love some non-hateful reviews. Much love.**


	9. Forgiveness and Friendship

**A/N- Hello all you lovely people! Thank you so much for all the love! Extra special love to my Twitter posse, Erica specifically.**

**Disclaimer- I do not own the character, the music, Glee, or Because I Said So. All mistakes, however, are mine.**

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><p>"This really is the best time to shop. The after Christmas sales are so good." Rachel adjusted the bags that were hanging off her arm and moved closer to Blaine, lightly bumping her shoulder to his. "Where should we go next?"<p>

Blaine stayed in step next to her as his eyes scanned the many stores ahead of them. "We haven't been there yet. We could find you something nice for your next date."

"That won't be necessary." Rachel sighed and led Blaine away from the Victoria's Secret store he had suggested, instead leading him to a store that sells hats.

She and Blaine had decided to meet up for some post-Christmas shopping, testing out their new found friendship. As it turned out, it wasn't much different from when they were dating. Now that the pressure was off of both of them, it was even easier; he was still easy to talk to and they still got along great.

"I thought you liked him? What was his name again?" Blaine followed her as she slowly walked between the racks, not really looking at anything.

Rachel stopped and held a red and black hat, staring at it as if she was interested. "Finn. I did, we just… we got in a fight, the same day me and you… you know, and I haven't talked to him since."

"Why not?"

She dropped the hat and moved to the rack, pretending to be interested in the offered merchandise. She was just hiding in this store so she could avoid going into the lingerie store. "It's complicated. He saw you leaving my apartment and I thought he was a part of my dad's scheme. We yelled, I left, and we haven't talked since."

"He wasn't part of your dad's plan?" Blaine asked, eyeing a plaid trucker's hat and shaking his head.

She continued weaving through the store, waving off an employee who offered to help them. "I don't think so."

"So why don't you call him, then?"

Rachel circled the farthest rack from the door and slowly made her way out of the store, Blaine beside her. "It's more complicated than that. He had Katie, his daughter, and maybe it's better that this happened."

"Well, I hope you figure it out." Blaine could tell she was struggling with how to proceed and he didn't want to make it harder on her. She would ask if she needed advice.

"Thanks Blaine." She adjusted the bags again and linked her arms with Blaine's, leading him out of the hat store. "Have things been better with your dad?"

Blaine shrugged. "They are better. He is still a little weird around me but he's coming around."

"That's good." She smiled up at him, happy that he and his father were getting along okay. "I know you were worried about talking to him."

He smiled at her, leading her into another store. "I was. I was surprised he was as cool as he was. He wasn't even that upset that I wanted to get away from the divorce sector."

"I'm proud of you. It takes a lot to do what you did." Rachel looked ahead, spotting her fathers when they were only a few feet in front of her. She tightened her grip on Blaine and looked at the two men stoically. "Daddy, Papa."

"Pumpkin." Leroy started. "Hello Blaine, it's nice to see you again."

Blaine cautiously looked at Rachel and then extended his hand to the men. "Sirs. It's good to see you."

Hiram awkwardly pointed and one of that bags Rachel was holding. "Nordstrom had some good sales huh?"

"They did." Rachel said, leaving it at that. She was still processing all that had happened a few days ago. She loved her dads and knew they thought they were doing what they thought was best for her, but Rachel was still having a hard time getting past their betrayal. Every time one of them would call, she sent it to voicemail and once a day, she replied to one of the several texts they sent. The only thing she would say was **_I'm fine,_** in hopes of getting the calls to stop. But she knew they never would; she admired them a little for that. "Well we must be going."

"Wait." Hiram called out, stopping them from getting too far. "I just wanted to say, again, how sorry we are." Rachel softened just a little, but still said nothing as Hiram glanced at Leroy and then turned to Blaine. "And son, we want to apologize for putting you in this situation."

"It was wrong of us." Leroy added.

Hiram smiled at his husband and then saw Rachel crack the faintest of smiles. "We will let you two get back to your shopping." The older men turned away, ready to walk away.

"Papa, wait." Rachel set her bags down and closed the distance between her and her fathers. She reached up on her toes and placed a light kiss on each of their cheeks. "I'll call you later." The men smiled widely, and silently nodded before walking away again.

~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~

"Thanks for watching her on short notice, mom."

"No problem, Honey. You know I love to spend as much time with her as I can while I'm in town." Carole watched as Finn crossed the room and put his coat on, readying himself to go outside. "Where are you going again?" She had a feeling that she knew who he was meeting, but she didn't want to be too intrusive. She knew that she was on to something when he paused the zipping of his zipping up of his jacket to look at her.

"Um. I'm meeting someone for coffee."

His vague answer only confirmed for Carole that Finn was meeting a girl and based on his reaction to her innocent question, she thought that it had to be Rachel. She didn't know what had happened between them, but she knew her son and she knew he was still hung up on her. Whatever the purpose of this meeting, she hoped that he would return with a bit of peace. Either way, she had to at least pretend she didn't know why he was running off on such short notice. "Who?"

He stole a glance at Burt, who just shrugged from his seat and waited for his response. His mom meant well, but he wasn't in any position to give her any more details right now. She knew that he and Rachel broke up, or whatever it was that they did, but he didn't go into much detail about why that was the case. He wanted to keep the information he had private, especially since he didn't exactly know what information he had, and he really didn't want Katie to know that he was meeting Rachel. "Just an old friend."

"When will you be back, Daddy?" Katie asked, looking up from the Barbie she was playing with.

Finn wrapped his scarf around his neck and pulled a beanie down over his ears, protecting himself from the bitter cold outside. "Soon." He crossed the room and picked up Katie, hugging her tight while he held her in the air. "You be good for grandma and grandpa. When I get back we can play Candy Land."

"Okay, Daddy." Katie had her arms wrapped tightly around his scarf clad neck.

The quiet hug was interrupted by the tickling fingers of Finn holding Katie tight against him while she squirmed and giggled. "Okay? You'll be good?" Finn asked, continuing to tickle her while her feet dangled in the air, thrashing around in an effort to get away.

"Yes." The answer could barely be understood through the laughter that only got louder as Finn continued tickling. Her legs were swinging wildly while she laughed until her dad asked again, this time easing the tickling of her sides so she could answer. "Yes. I'll be good."

Finn stopped the tickling completely and kissed her cheek before setting her down and turning to his mom. "I shouldn't be too long."

"Take all the time you need." She loved watching Finn with Katie. She was so proud of the way he had handled being a single father. Finn crossed the room and leaned down and kissed her cheek, ignoring the knowing smile she had while he put on his gloves and made his way to the door.

"Love you." He called out as he left the apartment. The snow crunched below his feet while he made his way to the subway, thinking about what had brought him on this frigid trek.

He almost fell out of his chair when he saw her name flash on his caller ID. To say he was surprised when Rachel called him and asked if he could meet her for coffee, would be an understatement. He answered it nervously and with a bit of question in his voice, silently wondering if he was imagining things.

There was no way he could say no to her melodic and quiet voice asking him to meet her. The closer the agreed upon time got, the more Finn was grateful that they were able to meet today; he was already freaking himself out with all the speculation as to what she might want to talk about. There was no denying that he was looking forward to seeing her, even if their last encounter hadn't gone so well. At the very least, he wanted the chance to apologize to her for his part in her fathers' deception.

He was sure to get to the coffee shop before her, ordering her coffee and getting them a table in the corner. He sipped from his cup while watching the door intently. His heart skipped a beat when he saw her cross in front of the clear glass door, bundled up in the cold. She was dressed much like he was: scarf, gloves, hat, boots; but she always seemed to make it look better.

Rachel closed in on the coffee shop, her heart beat increasing the closer she got. After her talk with Blaine and the brief conversation with her dads, she wanted to find out Finn's involvement and apologize to him if she needed to. She wanted closure and the only way to get it was talking to him.

She slowly pulled open the door and stepped inside, looking around for Finn. When she saw him, their eyes met and he smiled, holding up a cup and showing her that he had already got hers. She took a deep breath and made her way across the room to the table, she smiled when Finn stood to greet her. "Hi." She stepped closer to him, instinctively lifting her arm in preparation for a hug. Once she realized what she was doing, she awkwardly stepped back again, dropping her arms back to her side. It was a surprise to her that even though she hadn't seen or talked to Finn in a few days, she was still at a place where she wanted to be close to him.

"Hey." The reaction to her close proximity surprised Finn. He was excited to see her and get closure, but he was still slightly angry over what had happened between them. She never did tell him why Blaine was over so early in the morning; he still felt like he was owed an explanation. He was mad at her, sure, but he found that he missed her too. He handed the cup he had ordered for her over to her. "It's just how you like it: cream, no sugar." She quietly sipped from the cup and smiled up at him while they stood awkwardly beside the table. "Would you like to sit?"

Rachel nodded and sat, then took a minute to rid herself of the bulky scarf and gloves she was wearing. "Thank you." Once she settled in the chair, she sipped from the cup once again. "Thank you for this. It's perfect." He smiled into his own cup and she began the small talk, avoiding the inevitable discussion ahead. "How was your Christmas?"

"It was good, if you forget about the death and the melt downs." He was chuckling at the memory as he answered, it was only when he saw Rachel's eyes widen that he realized how it must have sounded. "Kurt got Katie a sweater that he said was at the height of fashion. Katie disagreed with him and told him it was ugly. You know how she is; she just came out with it. 'Uncle Petunia, this sweater is ugly.' The first meltdown was his." He and Rachel shared a laugh and Finn continued his story. "He tried to withhold the goldfish he got her, as punishment, but eventually he gave in. It was a small fish in one of those clear bowls with a little underwater sign and everything."

"That was nice of him."

Finn chuckled and nodded, the memory getting the best of him. "It was, until he insisted that Katie name it 'Versace.'" Rachel stopped drinking from her cup and looked at him with wide eyes, waiting for him to continue. "Of course Katie wouldn't have any of that. She named him Emily."

"Emily? For a boy fish?" Rachel questioned. She had missed the stories about Katie. She might be only five, but the kid was hilarious.

He shook his head. "Once she has made up her mind, you can't talk her out of it. Emily is her best friend, so it made sense to name her fish that." He drank from his cup again, inwardly enjoying her company. "Anyway, the second melt down was Kurt's too."

"Of course. Was he the only one who had one?"

Finn set his cup down and shook his head. "I wish. After dinner, Katie went to 'play' with her fish and found him floating on his back."

"Oh no!"

Finn nodded and sighed, wishing the Fish had made it past the first day. "Oh yes. She completely lost it. It took extra pie and a movie marathon to calm her down."

"Poor kid. Did you have to get her a new one?"

"As soon as the stores opened the next day. Kurt suggested naming that one 'Prada,' Katie went with 'Emily 2.'" They shared another laugh and when that died down, the silence enveloped them while they sipped from their cups. It wasn't long before Finn decided that he could no longer take it. "How is your show going?" He asked quietly.

"Good." Rachel didn't have a better answer for him. It was good, there wasn't anything new going on. "Are you still bringing Katie to the show this week?"

He smiled. "Yeah. She's pretty excited; it's all she's talked about. She has been making me watch the movie even more." Finn shook his head, thinking of all the times he had to watch the movie. It certainly didn't help him to forget about the things that were happening –or not happening- with him and Rachel

"Oh, that's nice."

"Is that okay?" Finn started to panic. Rachel had given him the tickets when they went skating, what if she didn't want him to go anymore. What if she changed her mind? Was that why she brought him here, to ask for the tickets back? "I mean, I can give them back if you want. I didn't think that…"

"Finn." She reached out and stilled his hand on the table, stopping his panicked rambling. "I gave them to you so that you can bring Katie. I want you to come." He nodded in understanding and she reluctantly pulled her hand away.

Once again, the silence took over. This time it more awkward and they both knew that they would have to speak about the elephant in the room eventually. They each sipped from their nearly gone cups and steadied their breathing before speaking.

"Finn."

"Rachel."

"I'm sorry, go ahead."

"You first, go ahead."

Silence took over for another minute, while they each tried to figure out what to say next. Rachel looked at him and smiled cautiously, visually letting him know that she was going to speak. "Finn, I'm sorry I yelled at you when I didn't have all the facts. I should have been more rational and asked questions before I jumped to conclusions." She paused and when he didn't say anything and then continued on. "I asked you here so that I can find out if you were a part of my fathers' scheme."

"I overheard your dads interviewing people to date you and I wanted to tell you what they were doing, warn you." Finn stopped and leaned in so that he could speak softer. "I wanted to tell you, but then I met you and saw you with Katie and I wanted to know you better." He straightened up in his chair, sitting back where he was before. "I let my own selfishness get in the way of telling you the truth. I'm sorry I never told you what they were up to."

"I wish you would have told me sooner, but I appreciate you telling me now." Finn looked down at his lap, ashamed at his own deception. "My dads told me that you were not involved, I just needed to hear it from you."

Finn felt relief for getting that off his chest. Even though the time that they were dating brought him so much happiness, the fact that he had not come clean as he had planned always weighed heavy on him. Now that he was clear, he needed to know about that morning. "Can I ask… Why, why was that guy at your apartment so early?" He desperately wanted -no, needed- to know; that didn't mean he felt right about asking the question. They weren't official, technically she was free to date whoever she wanted, and it still bothered him to know that he may not have been the only one. "I know he was the guy your dads chose; you told me he was nothing to worry about, but why was he there?"

"He was the guy my dads chose for me. He answered their ad and he was the one they picked." She looked down and started picking at the mostly empty and largely forgotten cup of coffee in front of her. "I was dating Blaine at the same time as I was dating you." She saw his face flush and tried to talk faster to settle him. "Please let me finish." He nodded, visibly trying to keep calm. "The last few guys that I have dated were awful, my dads got involved hoping to find someone better than the jerks I had found on my own. When I was asked out by two great guys within the same week, I decided to let it take its course; not to decide too quickly and ruin a potentially great relationship by choosing the wrong one. I chose to date both of you in hopes of choosing the right guy for the right reasons." She looked at him, gauging his reaction so far. He was clearly upset, but also open to her going on. "And it worked. I called Blaine over that morning so that I could tell him that we could no longer see each other. What I didn't know, was that he was there to tell me the same thing." She saw his features turn from anger to curiosity quickly. Her voice softened and she went on, fighting back the tears that were threatening to fall. "I had chosen you."

Finn couldn't believe what he was hearing. Part of him was thrilled that she had picked him, but the other was still upset that she was dating someone else. Did she kiss Blaine the same way she kissed him? "I guess I understand why you dated both, but, Rach, I have to know: did you, uh, were you, did Blaine, you, how far?"

"Stop." Rachel said gently. She knew what he wanted to know and while she didn't feel as if it was his business, she did feel as if she owed him an explanation. "I kissed Blaine once, after a night that included karaoke and way too many drinks. Blaine and I are friends. There was nothing romantic between us, not even in that one kiss. We both know it. We will only ever be friends… I hope the same can be said for you and me." Friends… That would have to do.

In that one moment, he had felt so many things so quickly. At first, he felt like a jerk for asking about her private relationship with Blaine, especially now that they were no longer together. That gave way to irrational anger that they had kissed at all; if he didn't know better, he would say he was jealous. The last thing, the emotion that surprised more than the rest, was sadness. She wanted to be friends; this should be a good thing. Why was he suddenly sad that she still wanted to have a part in his life? Finn did feel better for knowing, he felt redeemed in a way. At one time, she had chosen him. Maybe it was best that they continue only as friends. "I would like that."

"I better get going; I have to be at the theater soon." She stood and began to reapply her cold weather apparel, while Finn stood also. "Thank you for the coffee Finn. I do hope I see you and Katie at the show later this week."

Finn smiled and nodded, watching as she wrapped the scarf around her neck. "You will. I'm excited to see you in action."

"Be sure to come back stage after the show, I'd really like to see Katie." She clamped her mouth shut and stilled, as soon as the words left her mouth. She was rather fond of Katie, but perhaps it was too soon to befriend the little girl, even casually.

"I'm sure, she would like to see you too." Finn noticed her tense up and wanted to ease her worries. There was no reason that she and Katie couldn't be friends too.

Rachel relaxed and smiled, sliding her gloves on over her small hands. "Thank you." This time, she hesitated for a moment, but decided to go ahead anyway. She took a step towards him and wrapped her arms around his neck, hugging him with all her might. She let her eyes close for just a moment while she inhaled the scent of his cologne one last time.

Finn tightened his arms around Rachel's middle, closing his eyes while he relished in the feeling of her so close to him. He had always loved the way Rachel's hugs felt, if that's all he was privy to from now on, he would gladly take each one.

She released him after another minute and stepped back, offering one last smile before telling him goodbye.

~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~

Rachel sat in the darkened restaurant where she was nervously awaiting her fathers' arrival. After her brief discussion with them in the mall the day after Christmas, she had realized how much she missed them. Sure, they had violated her privacy in a major way, but they were also her parents. Parents that she was usually very close with. Though her freezing them out was intended to teach them a lesson, which she thinks worked, it also reminded her how much she cared for them and how lonely the holidays could be, even if you don't celebrate the same ones as the majority of the people in the city.

Her conversation with Blaine had helped her to realize that her fathers were doing what they thought was best and even if it was misguided, their hearts were in the right place. After all, if it wasn't for their schemes, she wouldn't have made wonderful memories that she has made over the last month. For all the yelling and every strained relationship over the past week, there are three times as many happy memories that came before them.

It was the memories that made her want to forgive her fathers and move forward.

That thought had her reaching into her purse and pulling out the strip of pictures she still kept there. Her smile was automatic when she saw her and Finn being silly together on their first date. Whenever she thought about that day, she couldn't help but smile.

"Peanut?"

Rachel quickly stuffed the picture back in her purse and stood to greet her fathers. They were both apprehensive, standing back until Rachel stepped towards them and hugged them simultaneously. "Thanks for coming." She squeezed them tight and let go, stepping back and gesturing for them to take a seat.

"Is there something wrong?" Hiram asked, concern plainly written on his face.

Rachel smiled tightly, allowing him to sweat it out for a split second longer. "I'm fine Papa." She sat in her seat, folding her hands on the table in front of her. "I just wanted to talk to you."

"Have you called us here to forgive us? We miss you terribly." Leroy supplied, hope laced in his tone.

"Actually, yes." Both of the men instantly went wide eyed, somewhat shocked that Rachel was ready to forgive them. "But..." She started, looking between them with seriously. "You can never do anything like that again. I need to live my own life and make my own decisions. Not all of them will be right, but how else am I to learn." The two men took a hold of each other's hands and looked down at the table. "I know that you both meant well, but this last week has been horrible. I have missed being able to call you for support or comfort and I really needed it."

Hiram and Leroy shared a look and reached out, each of them taking hold of Rachel's hand. "We know and we are truly sorry."

"Very sorry."

"I know. Before I can fully forgive you, I need you both to promise me that you stay out of my private life unless a life is in danger or you are specifically asked."

Leroy sat up straighter in his chair. Part of him was happy to make the promise; the other was terrified of breaking it. "What if…"

"Daddy."

He sighed and looked to Hiram, who was silently telling him to drop it. The men nodded once and Hiram spoke for both of them. "We promise."

"Thank you, Papa." She looked at Leroy expectantly. "I need to hear you say it, Daddy."

Leroy looked questioningly at Rachel and then to Hiram. He held his hands up and gestured to Rachel; he knew exactly why she wanted his to say it. He sighed in defeat, dropping his shoulders slightly. "Fine. I promise."

"Thank you. Now we can order lunch." Rachel raised her hand in the air, signaling to the waitress that she was ready for her to bring the drinks she had ordered before their arrival. It was time to celebrate moving forward.

* * *

><p><strong>AN- Now that everybody had been forgiven, I think we might be ready for some romance, you think? I plan to spend some more time writing today, so there could be another chapter posted tonight. Non-hateful reviews are always appreciated. Much Love.**


	10. Reinforcements

**A/N- It's still Saturday here! You know my posse is amazing. This chapter is one of my favorites. A lot of stuff happening so I'll let you get to it. **

**Disclaimer- I do not own the character, the music, Glee, or Because I Said So. All mistakes, however, are mine.**

* * *

><p>"Hey bartender, what's a guy gotta do to get a drink around here?" Finn tapped on the bar, smiling as he waited for his friend to notice him. Puck turned, his automatic look of annoyance turning to recognition as soon as he saw Finn sitting at his bar.<p>

"Hey Dirtbag, how did you get out of the house on a school night?" Puck filled a glass and slid it in front of his friend, leaning on the bar while Finn took a hefty gulp of the cold beverage. "I thought you were grounded."

"I'm not grounded." Finn drank from the glass once again and then looked around the bar. There were only a few tables occupied in the dark space and only two other people sitting at the bar, leaving Puck mostly free to talk. "Have you been busy tonight?"

Puck raised an eyebrow at him and looked at the clock hanging on the wall behind him. "Dude, it's only eight. You know it doesn't get crazy in here until at least ten." Puck leaned in conspiratorially, looked from side to side, and then to a table in the back that was currently occupied by a couple of older business women. "And you know I like it crazy."

"I do." Finn laughed, knowing exactly what his friend was talking about. Puck loved to tell crazy stories about his nights at the bar and when he finally got him to stop telling them to Katie, Finn enjoyed hearing them. Of course, he told her a watered down version, but he told her enough that Finn had to put a stop to it. "I'm sure it will get crazy on New Years."

"Oh man. Are you coming? Please tell me your pansy ass is coming." Puck was practically bouncing from his spot behind the counter. New Year's Eve was one of the best nights at the bar. "I got pole dancers coming in. Pole dancers, Finn."

Finn finished his beer, smiling into the glass. "How did you manage that? You don't have poles in here?"

"They bring their own, dude. They are gonna set up on the stage and… it's gonna be awesome. So you coming?"

He felt a little bad, not only was he not coming to the New Year's Eve party that was in a few days, he was here to convince Puck to do something that he knew he wouldn't want to do. "I can't. I'm on shift that night."

"Too bad. It's gonna be epic." Puck refilled Finn's glass and made his way down the bar, checking on the customers that were seated there before returning to where Finn was. "So what brings you out tonight; Special K give you a pardon?"

"Nah. She's with mom and Burt tonight." He sipped from the newly refilled glass, taking the time to inspect the liquid thoroughly. "I wanted to see if you wanted to hang out with me and Katie on this weekend?"

"That could be cool, what did you have in mind?" Puck picked a glass from the tray of newly washed dishes and began drying them so he could put them away while he and Finn talked.

Finn looked around the bar, avoiding eye contact with Puck. "We, uh, we are gonna go seeBeautyandtheBeastonBroadway."

"Huh?" Puck stilled, hoping the movements would help him to somehow hear better.

He sighed, unable to avoid it any longer. He had hoped to somehow trick Puck into going without really telling him where they were going, though he knew that that was unlikely. "Rachel gave Katie tickets to see her play; we are going to see Beauty and the Beast."

"Oh hell no." Puck forcefully set the glass down, shaking his head and firmly indicating his disapproval of the planned activities. "Get someone else."

Finn held tight to his beer. He wasn't expecting Puck to agree easily. "Come on Puck. I can't go alone."

"I thought you said Katie was going." He resumed drying the glasses, satisfied that Finn knew how much he really didn't want to go.

"She is. You know what I mean. We are supposed to go backstage after and I can't see her alone." He implored, hoping to convince him to go, despite his not wanting to.

Puck moved a dry glass to its spot and took hold of another while trying to think up ways to get out of going. He sympathized, knowing that Finn was sensitive to the subject of Rachel, but that was not a good enough reason to make him suffer too. "What about Petunia?"

"He's working. He can't take any time off this week." Finn knows, because he asked. Kurt wouldn't have be much for keeping him from doing something stupid with Rachel, but he may have been too wrapped up being backstage at a real Broadway theater to allow Finn the chance.

"Take your mom."

Finn shook his head, again, he knew. He didn't ask his mom though. He knew she wouldn't be helpful at all in this situation. His mom would push until it was awkward. "She's leaving tomorrow, why do you think they have Katie today? She and Burt wanted to take her for one more night before they go home."

"Dude. I can't go to a Broadway play." He began shaking his head again, wiping the glasses forcefully. He knew he was running out of excuses.

"Don't you think I've asked everyone else? You are the only one. I need you to come with me and Katie." Finn was almost pleading now. "You are the only one that can keep me from doing something stupid. I can't go alone."

He did have a point; it still didn't make him want to go. "You do need supervision most of the time, but you have Katie. Can't she keep you under control?"

"I need my best friend." Finn noticed Puck's incessant drying slowing down and he knew he was close to getting him to agree to come with. Good thing he had one more thing up his sleeve.

Puck looked around, noticing some more of the tables were filling up. He sighed, hoping he could at least get something in return for his sacrifice. "Why does it feel like I'm the only one sacrificing?"

"How about I introduce you to the new Paramedic; the one I have been making you stay away from." Finn knew that Puck had his eye on the busty red head that transferred to his station last month. He spotted her one day when Puck brought Katie to the station and had been bugging Finn about her ever since. Finn cited the great Cindy incident and forbid Puck from getting within fifteen feet of the new girl.

Puck had no choice but to comply; things did not go well when he and Cindy decided not to see each other. More accurately, when Cindy yelled at him in the fire station, loudly, letting everyone in house know that she Puck were not exclusive. That was a hard day for everyone. That still didn't stop him from wanting to know the newest paramedic just a little better. "Jen?"

"Yes. I'll even put in a good word for you." It was a risk, but it was one Finn had to take. He would just make sure she knew not to expect too much from Puck.

"Katie too?" Puck asked. Katie was an excellent reference.

Finn groaned, his patience was beginning to wear thin. He knew Puck was going to agree, he just had to wait for him to say so. "Yes. Now will you just come to the play?"

"If I have to." Puck groaned, rolling his eyes for effect.

~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~

"I can do this. I can do this. I will do this. I'm fine. I'm Rachel Berry, future Tony award winning actress; I can do this." Rachel repeated the words over and over again while she applied her makeup for her matinee performance. She secretly hoped that the more she said the words, the more likely she would be to believe them.

When Rachel had promised Katie tickets to her show, she never imagined that things would happen the way they did. By the time she and Finn had their falling out, Katie already had the promised tickets in hand. Rachel sent three, gifting an extra ticket just in case Katie wanted to bring a friend, though Finn's mom or Kurt were the more likely choices. At the time, Rachel was thrilled to have Katie and Finn at her show; now, she was terrified.

She thought that she and Finn might still be dating. There was a part of her- a big part- that was relieved that the two of them had at least made amends with each other; if not, this day would be even more awkward. She repeated the words again and again, looking at herself in the mirror and speaking directly to the woman who was looking back at her.

"I can do this. I can do this. I will do this. I'm fine. I'm Rachel Berry, future Tony award… What are you doing?" Rachel put the brush and powder she was holding onto the vanity and shook her head. There was no way she could do this alone; she needed back up.

Dressed in her robe with her makeup only half done, she made her way to wardrobe to find Brittany, her best chance for surviving this day. "Brittany, are you in here?"

"Where else would I be?" Brittany popped out from behind a rack of clothing and walked towards Rachel. "Didn't I give you all of your costume? Whoa, do you need help with your makeup?"

Rachel shook her head, knowing she probably looked crazy. "No. I mean, I have my costume and I can do my makeup; I needed to ask you for a favor."

"Oh." Brittany was visibly relieved. "How can I help?"

"I need you to help me during the meet and greet today; just the one for the matinee." Rachel wasn't sure how she was going to help yet, she just needed someone near her, someone to keep her from being stupid around Finn.

"I have to get some things ready for the next show, but I think I can help you."

Rachel smiled, happy to tell Brittany what she needed. She and Brittany were friends, so she knew most of the story already. All Rachel had to do was tell her why she needed her for this particular meet and greet. "Finn and Katie are coming to the show today."

"Oh."

"They are supposed to come back for the meet and greet and I don't trust myself around him." Brittany turned her head slightly and raised an eyebrow, silently telling Rachel to continue. "It's complicated."

Brittany shook her head, her expression soft. "It's not. You still like him."

"Of course I still like him. I've tried not to, I have. I just need you to keep me from turning into a babbling idiot when he shows up." Rachel felt dumb even asking, she was an actress. It was her career to pretend to be something that she's not. She went to four years of college perfecting the art and yet, here she was asking a friend to basically babysit her during a meet and greet. As dumb as she felt, the more she thought about it, the more she knew it would be necessary. "Can you please help me?"

"I would be glad to."

Rachel breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that Brittany will be by her side when she sees Finn again. "Thank you. It means a lot to me."

"Why don't you just tell him how you feel?"

Good question. Why couldn't she just tell him? She went back and forth with the idea, finally realizing that they had already had their chance. In the end though, fear won out and she decided it was best to keep him and Katie as friends. "I can't. What if he says no or laughs at me."

"From what you told me about him, I don't think he would laugh at you." Brittany offered helpfully.

"Okay, he probably wouldn't, but he still might say no. I don't think I can take it, Brit." Rachel clasped her hands together in from of her, focusing her attention on her feet.

Brittany stepped forward and rested her hand on Rachel's shoulder. "If that's the worse he could do, I think you'll be okay. You never know, he could say yes."

"I guess." Rachel gave Brittany a tight smile. "I'll think about it."

"Good. I'm sure it will all work out."

Rachel stepped towards the door, ready to go back to her dressing room and finish her preparations. "I hope so. I'll see you after the show. Thanks, Brit."

"You're welcome. Break a leg."

Rachel smiled once more before heading back to her dressing room. Right now, there wasn't a clear answer. Brittany made some good points and if all Finn could do was tell her no, she wasn't doing so badly. Maybe seeing him after the show would help her to know how to proceed. Until then, she had a show to do.

~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~

"Come on Uncle Puck, we are gonna be late." Katie pulled Puck's arm, hoping to get him to move faster. She barely slept last night, knowing that she would get to see Belle today. She even fell asleep holding tight to the snow globe Rachel had given her. She hoped Belle remembered her.

"Good." Puck held back, resisting the little girl's attempt to get him to speed up. "I'm still trying to figure out how you got me to come along." He turned to Finn, who was barely ahead of him on the sidewalk.

Finn chuckled, amused that Katie was pulling him along, despite his resistance. "I asked and you agreed. Just please try to behave. You are supposed to help me get through this." He raised an eyebrow at him and stole a glance at Katie.

"All I know is that Jen better be worth it." He took a large step, falling in step next to Katie. Puck wasn't opposed to helping out Finn, what he was opposed to, was musicals. They were not his cup of tea and the closer they got to the theater the more he regretted agreeing to this. However, he was a man of his word and as much as he hated the idea, he agreed to this. He never agreed to not complain about it though; Finn should know that was an unspoken part of the deal.

"I already talked to her, she will be. Just don't make me regret talking to her for you." Finn turned to him, leveling him with a stare that left no room for argument, he expected one though.

"I will do whatever I want. I'm making the ultimate sacrifice here." He was going to behave and chances are that Finn knows it. This was how Puck was coping with having to do something he really didn't want to do.

Katie tugged on Pucks hand looking up at him with her big brown eyes, her hand still tucked in his. "Uncle Puck, don't you want to meet Belle? She's a princess."

"I know who Belle is Special K and it's just a lady in…"

Finn reached out and hit Puck on the shoulder, stopping him before he could finish the sentence. "A castle." Finn smiled at Katie and then turned to Puck. "What the hell man?" He asked in a harsh whisper. "Could you just play a long?"

"Fine. I can't wait to meet Belle, Special K." The sarcasm was heavy with every word and Puck added an eye roll for effect; Finn noticed, but Katie did not.

"Thank you."

Now that Uncle Puck was fully on board, Katie's excitement bubbled further. It wouldn't be long before she was sitting in a plush seat watching her favorite princess on stage. "She's my favorite; we have the same kind of shoes."

"So I've been told." Puck rolled his eyes again, wishing this was already over. Maybe he could take a little nap during the show.

The three of them closed in on the theater not long after that. The line had already died down, leaving them not far from where they were to scan their tickets. Katie was dancing around in the line, being sure to stay close to her dad and uncle. The line moved closer and Finn pulled the tickets from his coat pocket, readying them for the usher.

"Uncle Puck, Uncle Puck, did you bring a book for Belle to sign? I bet she would sign one of you."

Puck groaned at first and then he saw it as an opportunity. "I didn't bring a book. I could go home and get one. I'll meet you guys back here." Puck turned and took a step away from the line, only to be stopped by Finn pulling on his jacket.

"Nice try."

"Damn." Not that he thought it would work, but it was worth a try.

"Just… try to enjoy the show."

Puck turned to Finn and smiled subtly. "No promises."

Finn sympathized with his best friend. He knew that Puck didn't enjoy musicals; he also knew that Puck was a good friend. Why else would he help with Katie all these years? As much as Puck protested and said he hated doing these things, Finn knew that it was never as awful as he wanted others to believe. Puck cared for Katie and he loved the time he spent with her.

They scanned their tickets and stopped at the gift shop, before finding their seats in the theater. It wasn't long before the curtain went up and the show begun.

The first thing Katie noticed was the production in front of her. There was so much happening and she was on the edge of her seat trying to take it all in. She sang along to every song and watched the entire thing with wide eyes, thoroughly enjoying her first theater experience.

The first thing that Finn noticed was how much he missed Rachel; immediately followed by how incredible her voice was. In the few weeks that they dated, Finn had heard lots of things from her and up until this moment, her laugh had been an easy favorite. That quickly moved to second as soon as he heard her sing.

The first thing Puck noticed was that he would definitely be needed at the meet and greet. Finn had not taken his eyes off of Rachel since she took the stage. He saw the way he his jaw dropped when she sang and he saw the way he reacted throughout the production. There was no doubt that Finn was still incredibly hung up on Rachel.

When Rachel and the rest of the cast took their final bow, Katie and Finn were both clapping wildly from where they stood in front of their seats. Puck remained seated, watching the two of them. He still wasn't a fan of musicals, but he could appreciate the experience. Seeing Katie react throughout the show and watching Finn turn into a lovesick fool were easily the best part of this; at least until they were able to see her backstage. Puck was looking forward to finding out how Finn would conduct himself.

They showed their passes to the guard, allowing them access to the backstage area without incident. They only took a few steps before Katie spotted Rachel, still in her costume from the show. Of course Katie still had no idea that Rachel was Belle, she was still under the impression that they were two different people. Finn stopped in his tracks as soon as he saw her and Katie pulled Puck's arm. "Come on Uncle Puck."

Puck looked at Finn, who was clearly not ready to go over there yet. "I'll take her, just come over when you can." Finn nodded and Puck squeezed Katie's hand, ready to lead her to the princess. "Come on, Special K."

Rachel saw Finn as soon as he entered the back stage area. There weren't many people backstage to begin with and she had just finished with the ones who did come back stage, leaving a clear view of him. She reached out and took hold of Brittany's arm. "That's him."

"The tall one or the one with the Mohawk?" Brittany saw the three of them stopped just inside the door and wondered if Finn was as freaked out as Rachel.

"The tall one."

Brittany smiled and turned to Rachel. "He's cute." She had noticed that Finn was hanging back while the little girl pulled the other man towards her and Rachel.

"I know." Rachel nodded, taking in Finn's appearance as much as she could before Katie got close enough. The dark blue button up shirt he was wearing fit him well and looked good tucked into the dark wash jeans he was wearing. She noticed Katie was getting close and tore her eyes away from Finn so that she could greet her properly. "Hi, Katie."

Katie watched in awe as the princess lowered herself so that she could talk to her easier, much the same way as she did the first time they met. She let go of Puck's hand and reached out to claim the hug Belle was offering. "You remember my name?"

"Of course I do. Did you enjoy the show?" Rachel smiled, easily slipping into character for the little girl. It warmed her heart when little girls came to her show and treated her like a princess. She glanced up at Brittany, who was standing silently at her side, just as planned.

"It was the bestest. I liked the part when all the dishes started to sing and dance with you." Katie danced around in front of the princess allowing the pink dress Kurt had got for her to puff out at her ankles.

Rachel smiled at her, subtly looking behind Katie at Finn, who was still hanging back. She didn't know why he didn't come over with Katie and it was probably a good thing she didn't have time to ponder it. "That's my favorite part too."

"I think Uncle Puck liked it a little too." Katie added, reaching up to take Puck's hand again.

Impressed, Rachel looked up to the mohawked man she believed was Puck. "Oh really?" She stood and smoothed her dress out before reaching her hand out to the man. "You must be the famous Uncle Puck."

"The one and only babe." He shook her hand, ruffling Katie's hair a little. "I guess my reputation precedes me once again."

Rachel giggled, knowing that this is exactly how she expected Puck to act. He was confident and lacked a filter and she already enjoyed it. "Did you enjoy the show."

"It didn't make me want to commit suicide… much." Puck was amused when he saw the look on her face. She glanced at Katie, who didn't seem to have heard the comment or didn't know what it meant.

"I'll take that compliment." Rachel laughed and introduced Puck and Katie to Brittany, willing herself to forget that Finn was in the room and still hadn't come over to her.

Finn watched on as Katie and Puck talked with Rachel and her friend. As soon as he saw her, he wanted nothing more than to run up to her and kiss her senseless. He didn't care that she was in costume or that there were other people around. That's exactly why he was still standing in the same spot. He knew that he had to regain some control before going over there.

He watched on as Puck and Rachel shook hands and decided that he was ready to go over there. He didn't want her to think he was mad at her or anything; that was not even an issue. He took a tentative step towards the group, locking his eyes on Rachel. He continued walking, her voice, and the others, becoming clearer as he got closer. He had every intention of politely joining the conversation and telling Rachel how incredible the show was. It was when he was only a couple strides away when the melodic sound of Rachel's laughter changed everything.

"Hello, Finn."

Finn reached his arm around her waist, unintentionally ignoring everyone around them. His hand hauled her close to him, flattening the bright yellow dress between them as her lips met his. His heart was beating incredibly fast as his other hand wrapped behind her lifting her off the ground while the room melted away.

Rachel was barely able to say hello to Finn before she felt his lips on hers. After that, nothing else mattered. She had forgotten what it felt like to kiss Finn Hudson and as it stands now, that was all her brain was focusing on. He was holding her against him while her feet dangled off the floor and their lips moved together.

Brittany watched on as Rachel moved her arms around Finn's neck. Rachel had asked her to keep her from doing something stupid in Finn's presence and she was not sure if this qualified. She reached out, tapping forcefully on the arm that was now tight around Finn's neck. "He's kissing you." Never breaking the kiss, Rachel lifted her arm and swatted away the unwelcome distraction and that was all Brittany needed to know. She wasn't sure if this was the something stupid that Rachel was referring to, but it seemed that Rachel no longer required her services. Her work here was done.

Katie didn't even get to see her dad before he was kissing the princess. She had no idea what to do with that information. Was he going to be a prince; did that mean that she would get to live in a castle? "Daddy?"

"Step back, Special K, you don't want to get any of that on you." Puck reached out and pulled the little girl away from the grotesque public display of affection, amused that Finn had brought him along as back up. He's not sure why he thought it would work at all.

Katie looked up at her dad and Belle in awe. "My daddy is kissing a Princess…"

"Looks like she is enjoying it, too." Puck looked at the two and smirked. The whole situation was funny as hell to him; even if he just watched this entire musical for nothing. Well, not for nothing; he would still get to talk to Jen.

The passionate kiss could not go on forever, as much as both Finn and Rachel would have liked it to, and they had to pull apart eventually. Reluctantly, Finn set Rachel on the ground, her dazed expression pointed at him. "Wow."

"I'm sorry." He wasn't really, except that Katie had seen that and so did everyone else backstage.

Rachel shook her head, smiling while she placed her palm on his chest. "Don't be. That was..."

"Yeah?" Finn leaned down and kissed her once more.

"Beast is gonna be so mad."

The concerned tone of his shocked daughter pulled Finn from his blissful daze. He needed to explain to her what had just happened. "Katie…"

"Do we get to live in the castle? Will Beast still live there? Can Uncle Puck visit? Can I have a sister?"

Finn couldn't help but smile at the rapid fire questions, even if they were inappropriate. He turned to Rachel, hoping she was able to help. "Is there someplace we can talk, the three of us?"

Rachel nodded and held her free hand out to Katie. "We can go in my dressing room."

"Hell no, you don't need me for that. You three have fun." Puck stepped forward and held a fist to Katie, who instantly bumped it with her own. "Special K, I'll see you tomorrow." He looked up at Brittany, understanding now that her job was the same as his. "Brittany, it was nice meeting you." Finally, he looked to Finn and Rachel, pointedly giving them the only advice he had. "Be sure to wrap it up when you two finally decide to do the oopma loopa. I'm out."

Finn rubbed the back of his neck with his hand, wondering how he can explain Puck to Rachel and Pucks words to Katie. "So… That's Puck."

"I have to go too, Rachel. Good luck." Brittany looked at Rachel, silently giving her approval before heading back to wardrobe.

Rachel smiled, knowing exactly how Puck could be. "That's okay. Let's go to my dressing room so we can talk for a few minutes."

Finn nodded and allowed Rachel to lead him and Katie to her dressing room so that they could let Katie know what was happening.

"Daddy, can I oompa loopa with you guys?"

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><p><strong>AN- Awkward! A few things- 1) I respect the hell out of pole dancers, so don't hate Puck for hiring some. It's a hard thing to do. I would know, I have attended a class at least once a week for about a year and a half now. There is a difference between pole dancers and strippers. 2) I have hilarious video of my kid reading parts of this chapter that I wish I could share with all of you. It makes me laugh. 3)The 'oompa loompa' reference comes from the movie this is based off of. It's one of my favorite lines and I'm glad I found a way to use it, albeit adapted. -Your reviews and tweets have made me smile and I want you to know that I appreciate every one of them. There are still two chapters left to go, until then, much love. **


	11. Make it Official

**A/N- Hello readers! You guys are so amazing; I can't thank you enough for all the kind words. My ladies are amazing and I love them bunches. I won't bore you with my ramblings, on with the show.**

**Disclaimer- I do not own the characters, the music, Glee, or Because I Said So. All mistakes, however, are mine**

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><p>"Just put it on."<p>

Finn eyed the strangely shaped sweater that his brother was holding up for him. It was a dark brown sweater that only had one sleeve and was shaped like a triangle, mostly, and there was no way Finn was going to wear it. Especially not today. "No Kurt, I'm not going to wear that."

"At least wear the hat, Finn. It was designed by Eugenia Kim."

Kurt held the mostly wool cap (the short brim was suede) to Finn enticingly. "Kurt, I don't care if it was designed by the president; I'm not wearing it." He swatted at Kurt's hand, gently pushing the hat away from him. "It's just dinner."

"Just dinner, Finn?" Kurt placed the hat on the bed, next to the sweater Finn refused to wear. "You are meeting your girlfriend's parents for the first time. This is not dinner; this is a meal that can determine your future with Rachel."

Finn rolled his eyes and began tucking in his shirt, wondering if he should wear a tie; making a snap decision, he reached for the striped one hanging in his closet and placed it around his neck. "I have met them before; it's not that big of a deal." As his shaking fingers began manipulating the tie, he realized that not even he believed the words he was saying. One look at Kurt confirmed that he didn't believe him either. "Okay, it is a big deal."

"You met them before? How did I not know this?" Kurt reached for Finn's tie, fixing the mess his frazzled hands had created.

"I met them before I met Rachel. Let's just say they didn't exactly take a liking to me." Kurt finished the tie and stepped back, allowing Finn to examine his handy work. "Thanks man, it looks good."

Kurt clicked his tongue and waved his hand in the air dismissively. "Of course it looks good, Finn. I did it. Stop trying to avoid the subject here. Why do you think they didn't like you?"

"They told me so."

"I'm sure they didn't say that." Kurt knew that there was more to the story and he wanted more than anything to know what had happened, he pushed his nosiness aside and tried his best to help Finn before he had to go.

"Alright, they didn't say it just like that. What they did say was that I wasn't the type of guy they would want for their daughter." Finn slipped on his shoes, desperately hoping he would calm down before he left to pick up Rachel.

Kurt reached out and patted his back uncomfortably. He had never seen Finn so on edge before, it was weird. At the same time it was good to see him that way, it meant that he was serious about being with Rachel. "That was a while ago, Finn, now they have had a chance to know about you and that after they spend time with you tonight, they will decide that you are exactly who they want for their daughter. I'm sure of it."

"Thanks Kurt. I hope you're right about this one." Finn sat back on his bed, letting out a sigh. "I really like her and I know she likes me, but she's really close with them and..."

"How long have you two been dating?"

Finn felt the bed dip where Kurt sat perched on the edge. "Officially, about three months and we went out a few times before that. Why?"

"They know about Katie, right?" Finn nodded, looking up to the ceiling while Kurt talked. "That is usually the biggest hurdle. You said that they are close with Rachel and I know how she feels about you, and they know about Katie, so I would say that you have nothing to worry about."

Finn sat up, knowing that Kurt had a point. Usually the part people had a hard time with was him being a single father. If they were already on board with that, then what did he have to worry about? And Katie is a great kid. Someday when they meet her, they will love her just as much as everybody else does. It was inevitable, really. "Thanks man."

Kurt stood from the bed and straightened out his slacks. "It's what I do. You better finish getting ready. Do you want me to fix that mess you call hair?"

"No. Definitely not." Finn stood and adjusted his tie, then ran a hand over the back of his hair where he had been laying on it. For good measure, he went to the bathroom for a visual check.

"Your loss. I'm taking Katie shopping tonight."

Finn groaned as he sprayed himself with the Rachel's favorite body spray and went back to the living room. "Please don't let her get any more of that designer stuff. It looks weird on her."

"Finn Hudson, I'll have you know that I am paid very well to tell people what is in style, your daughter will wearing all the latest in fashion trends." Kurt folded his arms in front of him, preparing himself for a showdown.

"I know they do. You are very good, blah blah blah. Katie is not even six yet; she still plays in the dirt just because it's fun." Finn put on his jacket and looked down at Katie, who was on the floor playing with her favorite Barbie's. "Right, Booger?"

Katie looked up, stilling the two dolls in she held. "Playing in the dirt is fun, Uncle Petunia."

Finn could almost see the aneurism forming in Kurt's head. "She doesn't wear it anyway. Why don't you just go do something fun."

"Shopping is fun, Finn. Just because you don't enjoy it doesn't mean we don't."

"Fine. As long as you are both having fun." Finn reached out to Katie, who jumped up to give him a hug and kiss. "You be good, okay? I'll be home after dinner."

Katie nodded while holding him tightly around his neck. "Are you going to eat with Rachel?"

"I am." He kissed her cheek, blowing a raspberry for good measure before he placed her back on the floor. Now that Katie was aware that Rachel was an actress who played Belle on stage, there were no other major secrets between the three of them. Obviously, when Katie saw Finn and Rachel kiss, they had to let her know what was going on. She took it well and ever since then, Katie asked a lot of questions about whether something was real or made up. She would not be fooled twice.

Even so, Katie was happy to have Rachel in her life, the two were great friends. "Tell her hi, okay."

"You got it, Booger." Finn held up a thumb, which she eagerly returned. Finn tightened his jacket and turned his attention back to Kurt. "Thanks for watching her, Kurt."

"You're welcome, don't worry about tonight, you'll be fine."

Finn nodded, thankful for the wise words of his brother. "Thanks Kurt. Booger, be good for Uncle Kurt. I love you."

"I love you too, Daddy."

Finn Stepped closer to the door and wrapped his hand around the handle, pausing when he heard Kurt call to him one last time. "Good luck." Finn only smiled while Kurt held up his hand and waved delicately as Finn left the apartment with Kurt's words repeating in his ears. _Good luck._

There were times when Kurt was less than helpful and there were times when he knew exactly what to say. Finn was really freaking out about officially meeting Rachel's fathers today, but now he knew that the only thing he had to do tonight was prove that he was good enough for Rachel. Half of his battle was already won. The first time he had met her fathers, they didn't say that they didn't like him; they only said that they didn't think he was right for Rachel.

He thought about it a lot on his way to Rachel's apartment and held tight to that sliver of hope as rode the elevator up to the sixth floor.

Rachel paced nervously in her living room while she waited for Finn to pick her up. She had been very successful in holding off this dinner with her fathers until now; it was easy to keep them out of her dating life after the stunt that they had pulled. After three months though, her and Finn were getting more and more serious with every date and she could no longer hold her fathers off.

Originally, the men suggested dinner at their condo; something Rachel refused. She wanted their first real meeting to be someplace neutral, not someplace that gave her dads home court advantage. She even made them promise to keep their invasive questions to a minimum, though she didn't believe for a second that they would. A warning to Finn that they would probably be invasive was simply met with a shrug of his shoulders and a simple, "bring it on." She was a lucky girl.

A soft knock at her door stopped her pacing and brought her from her thoughts and when she opened the door, all those thoughts were erased. Finn was standing on the other side of the door with his hands in his pockets; his stylish black jacket hanging open. The striped tie he was wearing perfectly complimented the light blue button up shirt that was tucked into his dark jeans and Rachel no longer cared if they made it to dinner at all.

"Hey Baby."

Rachel smiled and pulled Finn into her apartment, holding tight to the collar of his jacket. "Hey there." She closed the door and rose up on her toes so she could press her lips to his, causing him to stumble back into the closed door.

"Not that I mind, but what did I do to deserve that?" He asked, gripping her hips tightly as she took a small step backwards and lowered herself back on her heels.

"I want you to know how much I appreciate you doing this tonight." She leaned up, kissing him again. "I know my dads can be a bit… crazy?"

Finn chuckled, still holding tight to Rachel as he leaned against the door. "They are dads, I get it. They only want what's best for you."

"I guess. Are you sure you are going to be okay. I have warned them, but I doubt they'll listen."

He leaned down, kissing her forehead gently. "I'll be fine, but thank you for trying." Finn pushed of the door and when Rachel put some distance between them, he was able to get a good look at her. Her long hair was curled at the ends, framing her face beautifully and completely fit with the form fitting black dress she was wearing. It fell just above her knees, showing off her seemingly endless legs. She was only able to take a step away from him before he reached out and grabbed her hand, pulling her back to him. He turned and threaded his hand in her hair as he pinned her back to the door in the same way she had done only moments ago.

Rachel instantly wrapped her hands around Finn's neck, marveling in the way his kisses made her feel. When he pulled away, leaving two quick kissed as he pulled back. "What did I do to deserve that?" She asked, repeating his earlier question.

"You are too sexy."

Rachel ran her fingers along the fabric of his tie and leaned up to whisper into his ear. "Would you like me to call my fathers and cancel?"

"Ugh." Finn leaned down and kissed her deeply, pressing her further into the door as his hands caressed her sides. When they broke apart, he leaned his forehead against hers. "That is extremely tempting, but we can't." Boy did he want to. Staying here in Rachel's apartment alone was definitely more appealing than an awkward dinner with her fathers. "Your dads are expecting us."

She sighed. "I guess."

"We can pick this up later." Finn said, looking intently at Rachel. She nodded and reluctantly freed herself from her spot against the door, swaying her hips as she made her way to the back of the apartment. While she walked away, one thing was abundantly clear to Finn; he was a lucky guy.

Hiram and Leroy sat idly at the table waiting for Finn and Rachel to join them for dinner; which was supposed to have started five minutes ago. Both of the men remembered Finn from the coffee shop and had their reservations about him. He had a tattoo and a kid and seemed just a little too different for their Rachel. Despite those things, the thing that stood out about him the most was that he was already standing up for Rachel before he had even met her; it was admirable. It didn't excuse their current tardiness though.

Sipping from his glass of red wine, Hiram checked his watch again. Six minutes. Of the two, he was the one that worried about Finn's situation the most. The man who was dating his daughter is a firefighter and that by itself was worrisome enough; then you add a child. He wasn't sure how Rachel would handle being someone's step parent. There were so many things about their situation that worried him.

Leroy, on the other hand, found the idea of an instant granddaughter somewhat appealing. From what he had heard about Katie, she was a fun little girl who was easy to love. Rachel didn't mind joining an already established family, so he didn't either. Of course, it took him some time to get to this point, but now that he was here, he didn't want to go back.

Just as Hiram was about to check his watch again, he spotted Rachel and Finn entering the restaurant hand in hand. He nudged Leroy and the men stood from their seats to greet the couple as they approached. Still annoyed that they had kept them waiting, Hiram stood silent, allowing Leroy to be the first to extend his hand to the tall man who was has been dating their daughter. "Finn, how nice it is to meet you properly."

Finn took the offered hand firmly, shaking it with all the confidence he could. "Sir."

"Please, call me Leroy." He smiled and then gestured to Hiram. "This is my husband, Hiram."

"Hiram." He repeated, holding out his hand to the other man. "I'm sorry we're late; we couldn't get a cab."

Hiram took hold of his hand and raised an eyebrow at the young man. "Please, call me Mr. Berry."

"Papa." She warned, before taking him into a hug and whispering in his ear. "Be nice."

"How about we sit?" Leroy suggested, breaking the tension slightly. "We ordered you some drinks." Rachel smiled and reached for her glass of white wine, noticing a mug in front of Finn. "Finn, Rachel said that you prefer beer; we took the liberty."

"Thank you." Finn took hold of the handle and sipped from the glass. As he set the glass down, he felt Rachel's hand on his thigh and flinched slightly. It was a welcome comfort, but he was so focused on the other occupants of the table that he wasn't prepared. He turned to her and smiled before resting his hand over hers and curving his fingers around hers while she asked about Hiram and Leroy's day.

Small talk was bad enough; awkward small talk that was clearly only filler was worse. Every person at the table knew that the real questions were coming, yet they all continued to talk about their day and the weather. It was excruciating and no matter how badly Finn wanted it to end, he had to wait for the questions to be asked. He knew the invasive questions would come eventually. The waitress had been in and out, taking orders and refilling drinks and when she finally set their entrees in front of them, it was Leroy who broke them out of the small talk.

"Are you originally from New York, Finn?"

"No Sir, I'm from Ohio. I moved here after high school to go to the firefighting academy here in New York." To be fair, Finn expected them to just dive in with the inappropriate questions, a part of him was impressed with the restraint they have shown over the past half hour.

"Why New York?" Leroy questioned, sipping his wine.

Finn cut at the shrimp on his plate while finishing the bite he had taken before. "Well, my brother was already coming here for school, so me and Puck decided to tag along. I went into the academy and he got a job at a bar."

"Puck? Sounds like a male stripper." Hiram chimed in, causing Rachel to sputter into her wine glass. "Sorry."

Well, he had a point. Finn just shrugged. "He wishes."

Rachel laughed, knowing that Finn was right; he does wish. "His real name is Noah, Daddy. But he doesn't like it when people call him that."

"That doesn't stop you," Finn said.

Finn and Rachel both laughed, turning to each other a little. "Well, Puck is a ridiculous nickname."

"It is, but at least it isn't Petunia."

"True. Kurt hates being called that."

"We all know Puck likes his nicknames, Berry."

"Could be worse. I'll take it."

Hiram and Leroy had been watching on with interest as Finn and Rachel talked about the other people in their lives. Hand holding and kisses could be faked but a conversation like this was something that a real indicator of compatibility. They really seemed to get along well and both of the men were happy for them, even if they felt a little left out right now. "Ahem."

Rachel and Finn shared an apologetic look and turned in their seats, once again focusing on their meals and the table as a whole. "Sorry, Papa."

"So, Finn, you are a firefighter, right? What's that like?" Leroy asked, wanting to keep the conversation moving and learn more about Finn.

"I really love my job. I get to do what I love and help people at the same time." Having worked so hard to become a firefighter in one of the most respected departments in the country, Finn was happy to tell people why he did it.

Leroy took a bite of his pasta and sipped from his glass, curiosity getting the better of him? "Isn't it dangerous? Don't you get scared?"

"A healthy fear is a good thing; it keeps you safe and alert so you are less likely to get hurt." Finn shrugged and took a bite of his shrimp. "We train so that we are confident but just like everything else, it has its dangers. I do what needs to be done, but I like to think that I'm smart about it. I want to go home at the end of my shift; my family, my daughter, Rachel…" Rachel took hold of his hand while he conversed with Hiram, silently telling him that she was there while he laid it all out for them. "It's important that I get to see them at the end of the day."

"Me too." Rachel added, squeezing his hand.

Finn turned and looked at Rachel, lifting their hands to his lips so he could place a tender kiss on Rachel's hand. It was no secret that his job was more dangerous than others, but he loved it and he was good at it. He and Rachel had discussed the dangers; he even took her on a tour of the firehouse to help ease her fears.

"What happens if you get hurt?" This is one of the things that Hiram was most concerned about. The fact was that firefighting was a dangerous job and it was irresponsible not to have a plan in place. The question wasn't even so much that he wanted the details; he just wanted to know that there was a plan.

He straightened himself up in his seat, feeling somewhat proud that he had what he felt was an acceptable plan. It was one of the things that would help him to convince Hiram and Leroy that he was responsible. "Then my disability insurance will kick in. It's not something that we like to think about, but I can't afford not to. I got the policy years ago after Katie was born and I have kept it current ever since." Finn saw the way Hiram was preparing to ask another question; he thought he knew what it might be. "Along with my life insurance."

"Very good, Finn."

Rachel looked down at her plate, stirring the contents with her fork with a smile. It wasn't many words, but they meant something. They meant that her Papa was warming up to Finn.

"Peanut, do you know about the Tony nominations yet?"

Rachel looked up; pausing for a second while she caught up to the question. "Next month Daddy."

"If it was up to me, you would have all the trophies already." Finn answered, taking a forkful of noodles in his mouth.

"Do you think you could handle that?" Hiram asked, avoiding eye contact. It was silly really, but he had to ask. His daughter was a star and if the man she was dating couldn't support or handle that, then they didn't deserve her.

Finn wiped his lips with his napkin and then took a drink from his beer. "What? Being able to say my girlfriend won a Tony, hell ya." He leaned over and kissed Rachel's cheek. "It's bound to happen babe."

"I hope so."

"It will." He affirmed. He had no doubts about her success. He saw the show; he knew what she did six days a week. She deserved fifteen of those trophies.

Silence overtook the table, leaving Rachel to silently analyze how dinner was going. She was pleased with her fathers behavior so far. They had been keeping the invasive questions to a minimum and Finn was handling himself well. She knew that he had impressed them at least once, that was a start.

"Finn, what's Katie like?" Leroy had already heard some things from Rachel, but she had been so limited with the information she shared and now was his chance to learn more.

Finn gently placed his fork on the table and sat up a little straighter; he was happy to talk about Katie. "She's awesome. She's almost six, going on twenty-five."

Everybody at the table laughed a little. Hiram and Leroy thought it was funny because they had Rachel and she was much the same at six, and Rachel and Finn because they knew Katie. It was the first genuine laugh shared by everyone at the table. "Kindergarten or first grade?" Leroy asked, finishing up the pasta on his plate.

"Kindergarten. She's a funny kid."

Leroy sipped from his glass, leaving only a tiny bit left in the glass. "Rachel has told us some stories. She sounds like a delightful child."

"She is. I think I'll keep her." Finn smiled and looked at Rachel, who giggled at his joke.

Hiram finished the last of his dinner and looked curiously at Finn. "Can I ask you a personal question, Finn?" Finn nodded while Rachel held her breath in anticipation of the question. "Where is Katie's mother?"

"Papa!" At least he asked first, Rachel would give him that much, but it was really none of his business where Katie's mother was.

"It's fine." Finn replied, reaching for Rachel's hand as it rested on the table. "She left us; shortly after Katie was born. She decided that she needed to be in Los Angeles more than she needed to be with me and Katie." He didn't hurt that she didn't want him, at least not any more. What hurt was that she would never know how awesome Katie was. He figured she didn't deserve to know her now. "She signed over all of her rights about two years ago."

"Finn is a very good father, Papa. Katie is such a good kid." Rachel added, looking only at Finn.

Hiram could tell. It was obvious with the way he spoke about her how much he cared about her. Just the way he straightened up when he started talking about her told him how proud Finn was of Katie. "I'm sure she is. Who watches her when you work?"

That was not the response Finn expected. He thought her parents; Hiram especially hated the idea of Finn having a daughter. He was sort of shocked trying to formulate an answer for him. "My brother watches her when I work nights and Puck watches her when I work days."

"They are so good with her; it's so cute to see her talk about her uncles."

Finn laughed and squeezed her hand. "Yeah, it's cute until she tells a pretty girl that she is high maintenance and then it's embarrassing."

"Uncle Puck says…" Rachel said in her best Katie voice. The little girl was so funny and even though the rest of the sentence was usually inappropriate or offensive, Rachel found herself anticipating the rest. The things that kids say can be hysterical.

Finn groaned, remembering all the ways he had been embarrassed by Katie using those words. It can be funny, but it can also be hard to explain to some people. "Don't remind me."

"She's just the best." Rachel added, looking between her fathers.

Hiram smiled and nodded, finishing the wine in his glass. "Sounds like you have a lot going for you."

Finn couldn't help the smile that formed when he looked at Rachel. "I like to think so."

It wasn't long after that that the two couples parted ways for the evening. Though Finn didn't know it yet, both Hiram and Leroy had given him the nod. Not that she was asking for it. As they said their goodbyes, each of them had hugged her goodbye and whispered their approval in her ear, leaving her feeling extremely happy while they sat in the cab on the way back to her apartment.

"I think it went well, your Papa was kind of hard core, but I suppose I would be too." Finn took her hand and kissed the back of it.

"I'm sorry they asked you all those questions."

Rachel turned holding Finn's hand tightly while he mirrored her position. "Don't be. They were just sizing me up; making sure I'm good enough."

"You handled it well, thank you for coming tonight." She leaned over the empty space between them, closing in for a what was supposed to be a quick kiss. It must have cut off her filter because the words that came out next were not what she meant to say. "I love you."

Finn sat back, looking at Rachel intently. He saw her eyes widen as she began to panic, realization of what she had said. They hadn't been dating a long time, but did that matter? Could you put a time frame on love?

"I, uh, it's too soon, I'm sorry. I couldn't help myself, you were so great in there and I'm just so happy. You don't need to feel pressured to say it back or anything, it slipped out and I got caught up…"

He took her hands in his, holding them both trying to get her to calm down. "Rach. Calm down, it's okay."

She shook her head, avoiding eye contact with him though she could feel his eyes on her. "I didn't mean to freak you out, we were having a good time and I ruined it, I'm sor-" Her words were cut off by a sweet kiss. Finn gently placed his fingers under her chin, bringing her eyes to his.

"I'm not freaked out. I love you too. Yeah, it might be soon, but that doesn't make it any less true." As soon as she said it, he knew he felt the same way. It wasn't something that he expected to happen so quickly, but that didn't change the facts.

Her eyes widened and her fear increased. This was not part of the plan. She didn't even know for sure that she loved him an hour ago. She had a hunch, but not one she planned on sharing until she knew for sure and definitely not tonight. "I didn't want to pressure you, it slipped out and.." Once again, her words were cut off by a tender kiss.

"Are you going to take it back?" Rachel paused, really thinking about her answer. It didn't take long before she was shaking her head, looking anywhere but Finn's eyes. "Then stop apologizing." Finn kissed her again, holding her face in his hands while he tried to pour all his emotion into one kiss. "I love you."

This time it was Rachel who kissed Finn. Her arms went around his neck and she moved to where she was almost sitting in his lap in the back of the taxi cab. She only relinquished his lips long enough to tell him again. "I love you."

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><p><strong>AN- There you have it! There is just the epilogue left and it was supposed to all be in one chapter, but it may end up being two. I'm not sure yet, it depends on what all I decide to include. You should see that sometime this week. Your non-hateful reviews bring me joy. Much love. **


	12. The Future

**A/N- I hope you don't mind that I have had to split the epilogue into two parts; the ending I had planned just didn't fit here. Collectively, you have all made this my most reviewed story and I can't even begin to thank you enough. Your support and encouragement has been amazing. Shout out to my twitter posse also. **

**Disclaimer- I still don't own the characters, the music, Glee, or Because I Said So. The mistakes, however, are all mine.**

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><p><em>"<em>_Please remember to stay on the ride until it comes to a complete stop. Enjoy the ride."_

Katie squealed as the carousel began to spin, lifting the horse she was riding up and down while it gained speed little by little. "Weeeeeee!"

Finn watched Katie take in the rotating view of the park from her spot atop the pink and blue carousel horse. He couldn't believe how grown up she was. She was dominating first grade, reading like she didn't just learn how. Her features had become more grown up too, with the once faint freckles on her nose becoming a little more prominent. Katie was growing up and part of Finn already missed this stage and it wasn't even over yet.

"Daddy! Daddy! This is fun. Can we go again?" Katie shouted out so she could be heard over the ride and the other people

Her excited shouting brought him out of his thoughts just as the ride began to slow. "We have gone twice already; don't you want to start our picnic?"

"Oh yeah! I forgot about the picnic. Help me down, Daddy." Katie reached for him, jumping into his arms just as the ride stopped completely.

Finn was happy that their lunch was secured in his backpack when she nearly leapt off the horse and into his arms. He helped her to the ground and took her hand, letting her lead him out to the pathway. "This way, Booger." Finn instructed, tugging her hand slightly so that she would change directions.

"Why do you call me 'Booger,' Daddy? Do I have one on me or something?"

Finn chuckled while they walked side by side through the park. "I always call you 'Booger,' Booger."

"Hey."

"What? It's your nickname." He shrugged causing her to glare at him. "It's just something I started calling you when you were a baby."

Katie raised an eyebrow and turned to look at him, causing Finn to laugh again. "Why?"

"You were always picking your nose."

She looked personally offended when she turned to him, drawing in a quick breath. "That's gross, Daddy."

"What? You were the one doing it, not me." He teased. They walked along the paths of the park, trying to find a good spot to lay out a blanket and eat lunch when Katie spotted the Bow Bridge ahead of them.

"Daddy, can we go on the bridge?" Her lips were asking, but her arm was already pulling him in that direction and Finn let her. It may help him bring up the topic he was hoping to cover today. She led him onto the bridge, stopping in the center and looking over the edge. "It's cool, huh Daddy?"

"Yeah, Booger, it's cool." He laughed, noticing the way she glared at him out of the corner of her eye. They just talked about that nickname but something like that just doesn't go away. She could glare all she wanted, she was stuck with the name. "You want to see something cool?"

She nodded and let him lead her to another spot on the bridge, forgetting all about the nickname for a minute. "What is it?"

"Come on." Finn moved her down the bridge, stopping on the other side and pointing at some letters engraved into the railing. "See that?" She nodded. "That stands for 'Finn and Rachel.'" He said, pointing at each of the letters on the railing.

Katie was confused at first, trying to figure out what exactly he was talking about. She went over all the Finn's and all the Rachel's that she knew; which was not many. In fact, she could only think of the one Finn and two Rachel's. When the realization hit her, she drew in a sharp breath. "Daddy! Is that you?"

Finn chuckled and watched her run her small fingers over the carving. "Sure is."

"Did you do it?" Finn nodded, coaxing another gasp from the girl. "You aren't supposed to scratch the bridge. It's bad; you'll ruin it."

Hmm. That's not how Finn thought she would react. He panicked trying to think of something that would get him out of trouble. "It's okay. They let some people."

"They let you and Rachel?" She asked, raising her little eye brow at him suspiciously.

He answered quickly, and maybe he fibbed just a little. "Yeah, they did."

"Oh. Okay." She stepped back and grabbed his hand leading him off the bridge. "Can we picnic now?"

"Yeah." Finn led her to an open area and took the small blanket out of his backpack, spreading it on the grass in front of him.

"Daddy?" She asked, sitting on the newly spread blanket. "Are you and Rachel going to get married?"

Finn stilled immediately. "Is that… how would you feel about that?" Katie seemed to ponder while Finn went back to digging their sandwiches out of the backpack. His heart was beating fast wondering how his daughter felt about the possibility. He loved Rachel and she and Katie got along great, but Katie always comes first and if she was not on board, Finn couldn't move forward with his plans. It wouldn't be right and he knew it.

"I guess it's okay." Katie shrugged, reaching for her sandwich while Finn stared at her.

"Are you sure?"

She took the first bite, shrugging again. "Yeah." The peanut butter and jelly was smeared on her cheeks as chewed the bite, and Finn watched on. "Can I go to the wedding?"

Finn smiled and reached for her hair, ruffling it slightly. "Of course, Booger." Finn began to eat his own sandwich, watching Katie eat hers without a care in the world. She asked him silly questions while they ate, keeping him thoroughly entertained during their picnic. "Do you think you could help me with something?"

"Sure, Daddy." She shrugged and drank from her juice pouch. "I'm a good helper."

He stood, coaxing Katie to do the same so he could begin to pack up their blanket. "Well, I was thinking about getting Rachel a ring. Do you think that you could help me pick one out?"

"Course, Daddy."

The two of them tossed their garbage into the can and made their way back to the path and they made their way to a jewelry store near the park. When he first brought it up at the station, several of the other firefighters suggested this store, that's part of why he picked a picnic for his discussion with Katie; if she was on board, they could stop when they finished eating. It was important to Finn that she didn't feel left out. He was inviting Rachel to join their family and Katie was a big part of that. The last thing that he wanted was for Katie to feel like she was being left out. Having her help pick out the ring was an easy way to let her be involved.

While they walked, he asked Katie about what kind of ring she thought he should get, but the only answers she had were 'shiny' and 'sparkly.' Those were good adjectives, but not really any help. He pulled open the door to the store and allowed Katie in first. He couldn't help but chuckled when her jaw dropped as soon as she entered.

"Welcome to Divine Jewelers; is there anything I can help you with today?" The older, well dressed, gentleman greeted them almost as soon as the door closed behind them.

Finn looked around the room, overwhelmed with the choices in the room. Surprisingly, though, he wasn't overwhelmed with the decision to come in here. He knew it was the right time and he felt good about it.

"Daddy's looking for a ring. It's for Rachel. They kiss sometimes, it nausitates Uncle Puck but they do it anyway." Katie blurted out helpfully.

The older man leaned down to talk to Katie, smiling wide. "Is that right?" He stood up and focused his attention to Finn. "Are you looking for an engagement ring?"

"Yeah."

"I'll be glad help you with that. My name is Gerald."

Finn took the hand the man was offering and shook it firmly and then he and Katie followed him to a large display case. "I'm Finn. This is Katie."

"It's a pleasure to meet you both." Gerald slipped behind the counter, walking towards where the engagement rings were displayed. "Do you know what kind of ring you are looking for?"

"Shiny… and sparkly… and pretty." Katie offered.

Both of the men chuckled. "Nothing too big, Rachel is pretty small and I think something big would be too much."

"Do you know what cut you would like? Pear, oval, marquise, round, princess-"

"Princess!" Katie's excited and sure decision caused both of the men to laugh. "Rachel's a princess, you know."

Gerald looked at the little girl and then to Finn, who just nodded in confirmation. "Princess cut it is." He pulled a small box of assorted rings out of the locked display case and placed them on the counter. Katie lifted on her toes and looked at the rings, touching a couple of them lightly.

"What do you think, Booger?" Finn looked at all the rings closely, not overly impressed with any of the options. They were pretty, but none of them were Rachel.

Katie shook her head. "Nah. These don't work."

Gerald pulled out two more of the small assortments and placed it in front of them. "How about any of these?"

"This one!" Katie reached in and plucked the ring from the display before anyone knew what was happening. "It's so pretty." She held it close to her face and looked at it closer. "Look, Daddy."

Finn took the offered ring from Katie and looked at it closely. He instantly knew that Katie made the right choice. Thankfully. He didn't really have a plan if she chose an ugly ring. The platinum band had two diamond encrusted bands that crossed over each other on each side of the square diamond set in the middle. It was not too simple and not too flashy and it was something he couldn't wait to give to Rachel. "I think she's right, Gerald. This is definitely the right one." Finn handed off the ring to Gerald as he put the trays back in their case.

"Good choice."

"Can I go look over there?"

Finn looked over where the little girl was pointing and figured she would be okay to look around the store. She probably didn't want to hand around while he did paper work anyway. "Sure, but don't touch anything okay."

"Okay, Daddy."

Finn watched long enough to make sure she was not leaving the store and then turned back to Gerald, who was laying out paper work for him. "What a sweet girl."

"She's a good kid." Finn looked over at her, keeping an eye on her as he started filling out the papers. He and Gerald moved through the paper work and before long Finn and Katie were ready to head home.

Now he just needed to keep Katie from spilling the beans before he could actually propose. This was definitely the hard part.

~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~

"…Next month." Rachel looked over at Blaine, who was far more focused on his phone than he was on the story she had been telling. "Hello? Blaine?"

"Huh?" Blaine looked up from his phone, a stupid smile permanently on his lips.

Rachel rolled her eyes playfully while they continued walking through the park. "You are going to run into a lamp post of something if you don't watch where you are going." Blaine giggled, still texting wildly by her side. "Is that Petunia?"

"He hates when you call him that, you know." Blaine hit send and tucked the phone in his pocket, giving Rachel his full attention.

"He really should be used to it by now. Besides, it's adorable."

Blaine held out his arm, inviting Rachel to link arms with him as they walked. "Kurt is fine. I really owe you and Finn for introducing the two of us."

"We just invited you to a party; the two of you did the rest." Rachel fell in stride next to him. She was more than happy that Blaine had found someone for himself. Who knew it would turn out to be Finn's brother.

"How is Fireman Finn?"

A heavy sigh escaped her. "He's fine."

The sigh and the short answer immediately let Blaine know that things were not fine. There was obviously something going on and now, in hindsight, it had been obvious since they met up in the park almost an hour ago. "What's wrong, Rachel?"

"Nothing." Blaine turned and looked at her, leveling her with a stare that told her he was onto her. She sighed, resigned to tell him what's been bugging her. "He's been distant for a couple days. We've talked on the phone and texted like normal but whenever I ask to meet just him or him and Kate, he tells me he can't. He just keeps telling me he will see me Monday. It's starting to freak me out."

"It's only been two days?" Rachel nodded and Blaine wondered if it was anything to worry about at all. The last time that they went a couple days without seeing each other, Finn was covering a 24 hour shift at the firehouse then came home and slept. Blaine remembers, because that was the first time Finn caught him and Kurt making out. Even so, the two had been practically inseparable unless one of them was at work. It was strange that Finn seemed to be avoiding Rachel, but Blaine preferred to stay positive about these things. There could be lots of reasons why he can't see her and he didn't want Rachel to worry too much. "I'm sure it's nothing; I wouldn't worry too much, it's only one more day, right? What are you guys doing?"

She knew that she was being slightly paranoid for no real reason, but she couldn't help herself. It had been days and even though their texts and phone calls hadn't really changed much, the fact that he didn't want to see her unnerved her. She thought about stopping by the firehouse, but she didn't want to disrupt his work. Realistically, she knew that everything was fine, but she couldn't shake the feeling that he was hiding something. Her only –sane- option was to wait it out. "We're going mini golfing."

"See? That sounds like fun. You guys do that all the time. I'm sure everything is fine. Is Katie going too?"

"She is."

"I think that's everything you need to know. If Katie is going, then everything will be fine. You'll see."

Blaine tightened his grip on her as Rachel smiled at him and leaned her head on his shoulder. He had a good point. "I guess we'll find out tomorrow."

~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~

Keeping this secret had been hard on Finn. He wanted nothing more than to see Rachel the last couple days and in an effort to keep Katie from telling Rachel about the ring they bought a couple days ago, he had been keeping their contact limited to phone calls. Finn wasn't just worried about Katie, he was worried that he might get too excited and just blurt it out. Rachel deserved a proper proposal and all he had to do was get through the next 18 holes of golf without him or Katie spoiling it.

"Hey baby." Finn couldn't help but wrap Rachel up in his arms as soon as she opened the door. As much as it sucked, maybe staying away was the right thing to do; it was taking all his strength not to do it right here.

Rachel's fear was quick to subside as soon as she saw Finn and Katie on her doorstep that Monday. He was quick to greet her, kissing her hard as soon they were close enough. His loving arms wrapped around her and allowed all of her previous fears to melt away. "Hello, there." She kissed him, allowing herself to forget about her irrational fears, if only for a few seconds. "I've missed you."

"What about me?" Katie tugged on the end of Rachel's dark blue sweater, pulling the adults from their reunion. "Did you miss me too?"

Rachel pulled away and hugged Katie as tight as she could, trapping the little girls arms at her side while she giggled. "Of course I missed you, Sweetie!"

"Should we go have some fun?" Finn was eager to get his girls on the golf course. The sooner they got there, the sooner he could propose, and the sooner he could start the next chapter of their lives. He made sure to keep the conversation away from the time he and Katie had spent in the ring store and when they made it to the first hole of their mini golf game, Finn was happy to say that the beans were still safely under wraps.

Rachel handed Katie her ball and leaned her back against Finn. "Katie Bug, you get to go first."

Katie smiled at Rachel and then placed her ball on the floor. She swung her club and sent the florescent pink ball right where it needed to be.

Miniature golf was a regular activity for the three of them; it had been a great way to involve Katie so that she didn't feel alienated by her dad's newish relationship. Rachel loved her alone time with Finn, but she also really enjoyed the time she got to spend with Katie too. Not only did it allow her time to get to know Katie better, it allowed her to know how Finn was as a father and how the two were as a family. His and Katie's relationship never failed to make Rachel smile and she often found herself what it would be like to be a part of their little family. Permanently.

They made their way through each of the holes, playing just as they had a dozen times before. Rachel was able to relax as the day went on. Finn's behavior wasn't distant like she thought it might be, but he still seemed to be acting strange to her. She couldn't put her finger on it, but there were definitely differences in his behavior. The only thing saving her sanity was the extra affection he had been showing since he picked her up; there was no way she was turning that away.

"Can we go in the photo booth, Daddy?"

Katie loved getting her picture taken and she loved that Rachel was willing to be silly alongside her. Truth be told, Finn enjoyed it too. It was always fun when the three of them got in the photo booth together and the pictures they got out of it were some of his favorites. "Sure, Booger."

They had done this enough to know that there was not enough room in the small booth for all three of them. Finn pulled the curtain back, digging in his pocket for change while Rachel and Katie climbed into the booth and got settled. Rachel would always take a seat on the bench and Katie would either sit next to her or stand in front of her while Finn knelt at the opening, leaving his legs poking out of the curtain. The pictures were never perfect, but they showed the dynamic between the three of them well.

He checked to make sure that both Rachel and Katie were in place before he reached out and started putting the quarters into the slot, each of them rattling on the way down. He held the final coin between his fingers and stole a quick kiss from Rachel before dropping it in the slot.

"When are you going to give Rachel the princess ring Daddy? I helped pick it out you know."

It seemed that at that moment all time had stopped in the booth, for Finn and Rachel at least. Rachel just turned to him, confused by Katie's question. Did she say 'ring?' If she did, was it THAT kind of ring was Finn planning on proposing to her? If so, how did she feel about it? It didn't take much to know that she loved Finn and Katie and that was really all she needed to know.

"Get ready. Pictures start in 5...4...3..."

Finn could only look between an oblivious Katie, who was ready for the pictures, and a dumbstruck Rachel, who looked both terrified and excited. He reached in his pocket and pulled out the velvet box, deciding that now was as good a time as any; he was already on his knees, after all.

Rachel's eyes caught sight of the box that was now in Finn's hand and she took in a deep breath; hardly believing that this was happening. Her hand covered her mouth while her tears began to well up in her eyes.

"This isn't how I planned to do this." Finn started, reaching out to take Rachel's hand with his free one.

Katie stood in front of the bench, having no idea of what was happening behind her while she called out poses. "Silly face!"

"Rachel Berry, I love you. There is so much I love about you and I'm not sure I could list them all right now, but trust me; there is a lot…."

"Scary face!"

Finn glanced at Katie and smiled then turned his attention to Rachel once again. "You have the biggest heart and the way you treat other people, strangers even, inspires me to be better every day…"

"Fishy face!"

"You love my daughter like she was your own and I could not have asked for a better person to bring into our lives, permanently." A tear began to stream down Rachel's cheek and Finn released her hand to gently wipe it away. "If you'll have us. Rachel it would be an honor…" Finn reached to the box and opened it slowly, revealing the diamond ring inside.

"Big smile!"

"Rachel, will you marry me?"

She could only nod and throw her arms around his neck, holding him in a tight hug while the tears flowed.

"I'll get the pictures. It's my turn." Katie turned, immediately noticing her dad and Rachel in a hug. She was used to seeing them like this, but the fact remained, they were blocking her exit. "Daddy… I can't get out."

Finn shifted closer to the wall and Rachel sat up a little straighter while Katie exited the booth. Finn looked down at the box and pulled out the ring and held it between his fingers. "May I?"

Rachel held out her shaking hand, nodding furiously. He slid the ring on her hand gently and kissed her knuckle when it was on as far as it would go. Once again, she threw her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly. She couldn't believe this had just happened. It wasn't until they heard Katie scolding them from outside the booth that their moment was broken.

"You guys didn't do any of the funny faces!"

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><p><strong>AN- I hope you liked it! Expect part two sometime in the next week; it will feature a time jump. Again, I thank you for the kind words and support. It means a lot to me. Non-hateful reviews are always welcome. Much love!**


	13. Forever

**A/N- Sigh. Here we find ourselves at the end. I can't even begin to thank you all enough for all the love and support. For a final time, I wish to thank the twitter posse for the encouragement and general cheer leading. Erica has dealt with so much from me on this story and I'm so grateful to have her in my corner. **

**Disclaimer- I still don't own the characters, the music, Glee, or Because I Said So. The mistakes, however, are all mine.**

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><p>"Have I told you how beautiful you look today, Mrs. Hudson?" Finn tightened his arms around his bride while their song filled the room. They had been married now for a little more than three hours and neither one of them could have imagined this day being any better. From having Katie walk Finn to the altar, to having her beside them while they were joined as husband and wife, to entering the reception hall filled with all their friends and family; today was the start of their journey as husband and wife and they couldn't be happier.<p>

Rachel smiled, leaning up to place a lingering kiss on Finn's lips. "You may have mentioned it before, Mr. Hudson. I haven't gotten tired of hearing it though."

"Well then, Mrs. Hudson, you look…" Finn leaned down and pecked her lips sweetly. "Gorgeous…" He kissed her again. "Fantastic…" And again. "Beautiful."

"How did I get so lucky?" Rachel adjusted her arms around Finn's neck, somehow managing to press herself closer to him.

Finn groaned and rested his forehead on hers. "Don't get me wrong, I am super excited to be celebrating this awesome day with you, but can we go yet? I'm ready to celebrate with you privately."

"Soon," Rachel giggled.

Almost on cue, the song faded out giving way to the voice of the emcee announcing that it was time for the first of the parent dances, though neither Rachel or Finn made a move to let go of each other. It wasn't until Finn felt a tap on his shoulder that they even considered parting.

"Excuse me, Son, do you mind if I borrow my daughter for a dance?"

Finn looked at the older man while his brain caught up with what was happening around them. It was then that he saw his mom waiting for him across the dance floor. "Oh, of course." He stepped back from Rachel a little, though he still held tight to her hand. He lifted her hand to his lips, pressing a kiss to her knuckles. "I'll be back for you soon. I love you."

"I love you, too." Finn went to his mother and Rachel was left with her Papa.

"May I have this dance?" Hiram asked, holding his hand out to her. When she took it, he lifted their hands so she could spin under before they began their dance. Rachel swayed with him, willing herself not to tear up when she smiled up at him. Every little girl dreams of their wedding day and Rachel was no exception. She envisioned so many details and filled in the unknown with an imagined ideal. The one thing she never had to imagine though was her fathers. She knew they would be at her wedding and she knew the daddy/daughter dance would be a part of her reception. "You look so happy, Pumpkin."

Rachel smiled and pressed the lapel of his suit jacket flat against his chest. "Thank you, Papa, I am happy and you clean up nice."

"What do you mean; I always wear a suit?" He looked down at his suit, wondering how it differed from the ones he wore every other day. Aside from the boutonniere pinned on his lapel, this was basically the same thing.

"Yes, but you don't always get to wear one at my wedding." She teased.

He chuckled slightly. "That's true." They swayed in silence for a few seconds before Hiram spoke up again. "You know, Finn told us this would happen the first time your Daddy and I met him."

"At the restaurant?" Rachel searched her memory trying to remember when Finn would have said anything of the sort.

Hiram shook his head. "No. The first time… at the coffee shop." He stole a glance at Finn, who was happily dancing with his mom several feet away. "He said that for all we knew, he could be our future son in law." Hiram turned his attention to Rachel, who was now watching Finn. "I guess he was right."

"He said that?" Rachel continued looking at Finn, somehow managing to fall more in love with him in that moment.

"He did. He really makes you happy, huh?"

It was then that Finn looked over at her and winked. Rachel blew him a quick kiss and turned back to her Papa, smiling widely. "He really does."

Finn held his mother while they danced in time to the music. Carole looked around the room, still in awe at the transformation the room had taken since she saw it last. "Everything turned out so beautiful."

"Thanks Mom. Kurt really helped out with all of his connections. It looks so different in here." Finn stole a glance at his bride dancing with her father and couldn't help the smile that came to him. It was still hard to believe that he was married to that woman; that she is his wife. He never thought he could be so happy.

"Sweetie…" Carole started, bringing Finn's attention back. "I'm so proud of you."

"For what? Getting married?" He questioned.

She giggled softly. "Yes and for finding someone as wonderful as Rachel to be a part of your life… and Katie's. I'm so happy for the three of you."

Finn smiled and leaned in to kiss her cheek. "Thanks, Mom."

"Have you and Rachel discussed when you might be giving me some more grandbabies?"

Finn jokingly looked at his wrist, where a watch might be. "Well, I think Kurt won the pool. He said you would ask before the garter toss."

Carole swatted at his shoulder. "You boys are terrible." She fell silent for a moment and then asked again. "So, really, when do you think I might get more grandbabies?"

Thankfully, it was then that the song ended and the emcee announced the next set of parent dances. Finn kissed his mother's cheek, smiling when he heard her sigh. "Thanks for the dance, Mom. Love you." He led her back to the edge of the dance floor and spotted Katie not far away. He saw her talking with Burt and it didn't escape his notice that Rachel was in his path. He took the opportunity to stop and steal a quick kiss from his new bride. He wrapped and arm around her waist and sealed his lips to hers before unhanding her and continuing on his way to Katie without saying a word.

Rachel could only stand there in awe, trying to get her wits about her while Finn disappeared from view and her Daddy appeared in front of her with his hand extended.

"Care to dance, Peanut?"

She took the offered hand and smiled, she was pretty lucky to have great parents. "I would love to, Daddy." It was then that the sounds of the next song filled the room.

Katie had been given the opportunity to choose the song for this dance since it was partly about her. Finding a slow song that Katie loved and that was appropriate for a wedding proved to be a far more difficult task that Rachel had planned. Eventually though, they agreed on _Roar_ by Katy Perry, it was a little faster than they had hoped, but at least it wasn't about heartache.

"I just love Katie Perry." Leroy said, taking hold of Rachel's hip while they started to move with the music.

"She's great. Katie is obsessed right now; she says it's because they have the same name."

Leroy chuckled and shimmied his shoulders while they continued to move in time with the music. "She's so adorable. I'm so happy for you three and your little family."

"Thank you, Daddy." Rachel mirrored his shoulder movements, unknowingly letting the music begin to control her.

Leroy spun Rachel under their hands and when she was supposed to end up back in his arms, she stopped just short. They stood in front of each other, just as they were before, but now they were awkwardly moving their arms with the music. Being on Broadway, Rachel was used to dancing, but the truth was, if there was not choreography to follow, she was terrible. It was clear to see that Leroy shared that trait.

Finn held tight to Katie while she stood barefoot on his shiny patent leather dress shoes. She was growing up so fast. He was going to miss her while he and Rachel were on their honeymoon, but he knew she was sure to be spoiled spending a week with her grandparents. "Daddy, I thought you didn't like dancing."

"It's a wedding, Booger; people dance at weddings."

"Why aren't we dancing like Rachel and Grandpa Leroy?"

Finn looked over at Rachel and her dad and held back a laugh when he noticed that the two of them had abandoned the traditional style dance in favor of the robot. "Do you want to dance like them?" He asked.

Katie's eyes went wide as she looked over at Rachel and then back up to Finn. "Can we?"

"Of course we can." Finn nudged her feet with his toes and as soon as she stepped off he began dancing, moving his arms as if he was churning butter. Katie laughed out loud and immediately joined him, moving her arms in a circle in front of her. He looked over, catching Rachel's eye while she was mid-sprinkler and winked; his little family was pretty special.

The reception continued, moving through the traditional rituals. Before anyone knew it, it was time for Rachel and Finn to share their last dance of the evening before they were to leave for their honeymoon. The dance floor was surrounded by guests and members of the wedding party waiting to see them off. They were headed to Hawaii in the morning, tonight though; they had a room waiting for them downtown.

"I love you." Rachel felt the rumble of Finn's chest and looked up, smiling as he leaned down to place a soft kiss on her lips.

"I love you, too." Rachel rested her head back on his chest and looked out to their guests. When she caught sight of Puck and his date standing at the back of the room, she leaned up and looked at Finn. "I can't believe Lauren knocked down my cousin for the bouquet." Rachel looked over at puck again, prompting Finn to look also.

Lauren Zizes had walked into Puck's bar a little more than five months ago. He was immediately infatuated with her and began to courting her; it only took him two and a half months to get her to say yes. Since then, the two have been inseparable. It was nice to see Puck so happy and Lauren was a really fun girl.

"I think Puck tripped Sam when he went after the garter."

Rachel smiled, still watching them hold onto each other at the back of the room. He had his arms wrapped tight around her shoulders, resting his head comfortably on her shoulder. "Those two might be made for each other. She doesn't let him get away with his usual stuff; it's good for him."

"As strange as it is, I think she might be it for him." It was then that Puck and Lauren fused their lips together in a sloppy kiss while Puck looked as if he was trying to climb her. "Oh. Gross." Finn and Rachel quickly turned away, hoping to avoid seeing any more. Finn lifted his arm and waved the guests to join them. "Everybody dance!"

As they rode in the limo a short time later, Finn leaned over and gently brushed some hair away from Rachel's face. "So was today everything you hoped it would be?"

"No." She moved closer and pressed her lips to his, closing her eyes at the sensation. "It was more."

~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~

"Rachel Hudson?"

"That's us." Rachel released Finn's hand and placed both on the arm rest of the horribly uncomfortable chair she had been waiting the last twenty minutes in. If it wasn't for the complete exhilaration of today's visit, she might even complain about it.

Finn stood and offered his hand to Rachel, helping her out of the chair. "Come on, Katie; it's our turn." Once up, Finn wrapped an arm around Rachel's waist and placed a quick kiss on her forehead. "You ready?"

"So ready." Rachel took Finn's hand and reached back for Katie's while they walked into the area just behind the door. Knowing the drill, Rachel kicked off the flip flops she was wearing and let go of her favorite people's hands long enough to step on the scale.

The nurse peeked over her shoulder, noting the number on her clipboard while Rachel put her shoes back on and sat in the chair. "How are you feeling, Rachel?"

"I'm well, thank you."

Rachel had heard horror stories of women who suffered constantly during pregnancy. Everyone warned her of the horrible morning sickness and the changes that were sure to happen, but so far, that hadn't been her experience. This pregnancy had been a dream so far. There was only one day in the last twenty weeks that she could say she felt nauseous and she couldn't be sure it wasn't just something she ate. She wasn't naive to think that a new baby wouldn't change their family, but who said they had to be bad changes?

Her run on Broadway ended shortly after she bought her first pair of maternity pants and all that did was leave her with more time to be with Katie. Since Rachel and Finn had been married a little over a year now, Katie and Rachel were already close. The last few weeks Rachel was able to help in school and tuck her in every night and it only made her more grateful for the little baby that was bringing them closer together.

She already knew that Finn was a great father and husband and now she knew how deep his love ran. The day she told him she was pregnant, he picked her up and spun her around the room, peppering her face with kisses. His enthusiasm never wavered. Rachel wondered how one person's heart could hold so much love.

The nurse finished taking all Rachel's vitals and led the trio into a room down the hall. "Dr. Thompson will be in a moment. You three can get comfortable."

As soon as she left the room, Katie moved to stand in front of the picture hanging on the wall. The portrait featured three young babies sitting in a bowl that resembled ducks while covered with feathers. Two of the three babies seemed fine with it, but the third… not so much. "That baby doesn't look happy."

Rachel shifted on the bed and shook her head. "No he doesn't."

"He's cute though." Finn walked over next to Katie and looked at the picture. Each of the exam rooms had similar pictures of babies posed with colorful props. Though Finn and Rachel had seen a few different ones, this was the first time Katie had been to an appointment with them. It was nice to have her here.

Katie studied the picture further, looking closely at each of the babies. "Uncle Puck says that the baby is gonna come out of your front butt. Is that true, Rachel?"

Rachel's eyes went wide; they knew this question was coming eventually, Katie was getting older and more curious. At some point she had to wonder how the baby would get out. I guess she should be thankful that she used a relatively safe word instead of one of the many, many slang terms that Puck has been known to use. There was no sense in lying to the girl. "That's true."

"Will it hurt?"

Finn saw the look in Rachel's eyes and jumped into help. "How about you let us worry about that, okay?" She nodded, temporarily satisfied with the information she had collected. "What do you think, Booger; are you going to have a brother or a sister?"

Rachel watched on as the little girl thought for a minute. Every time Katie was asked, it was a different answer. Most of the time she said it was a girl, but once in a while she would switch it up and say boy, probably because Rachel had been telling them both that they were having a boy. Call it mother's intuition.

"I think… it's both. One of each." She said happily. As far as she was concerned, it was the perfect answer. Rachel insisted it was a boy, Katie wanted a sister, and Finn only ever said that he wanted a healthy baby. Why not two?

"It's not one of each." Rachel said, still surprised at Katie's answer. "I'm telling you both, it's a boy."

Finn leaned over and kissed her head just as a soft knock was heard at the door. "I think we are about to find out… Come in."

"Hello Hudson family, how are we today?" The doctor entered the room and shook Rachel's hand and then Finn's, before turning to Katie and extending a hand to hers. "And who is this lovely young lady?"

"I'm Katie. I'm the big sister."

The doctor smiled at everyone and pulled the ultrasound machine closer to the bed while sitting on his stool. "I bet you are going to be a great big sister. How are you feeling, Rachel?" Rachel and the doctor talked about the last four weeks of her pregnancy while Finn and Katie stood next to the bed listening on. At this stage there wasn't much change, except in the way her clothes fit. It wasn't long before the clicked a few buttons and brought the monitor on the ultrasound machine to life. While Rachel unbuttoned her pants and lifted her shirt as instructed, Dr. Thompson pointed a remote control at a small TV mounted in the corner of the room. "There now everyone can watch." He turned back to the machine and grabbed a bottle of gel. "This is going to be a little cold." He squirted a liberal amount of gel over her belly and placed the wand right in the middle.

"Can you see, Katie bug?" Rachel pointed at the screen just as the black and white image of their baby came on screen. The wand moved over her belly, pushing around the gel as it did. She reached for Finn's hand, squeezing it as tears started to well up in her eyes. "That's our baby."

The wand moved around as the doctor clicked buttons and took measurements, pointing out the spine and the heart along the way. "How about we see if this little one will let us know if we have a girl or a boy?" He moved the wand below her belly button and stopped. "Look at that."

"I see toes!" Katie said excitedly, pointing at the screen. Sure enough the picture frozen on the screen was the bottom of the baby's feet along with one of the tiny hands.

Finn quietly counted the toes and fingers, happily noting that there were 15 just as there should be. He couldn't help the pride he felt just looking at the little black and white toes. He squeezed Rachel's hand and leaned over to kiss her once again. When he stood, he rested a hand on Katie's shoulder and gently pulled her back into him while they watched the monitor.

"Are you ready? I think this little one has finally stopped being shy."

"I'm ready." Rachel froze under the wand, holding still as if she could control the baby inside. It was finally time to find out if they had a Christopher Ryan or an Elizabeth Carole.

He moved the wand once more, trying to get the best angle for a picture. "Looks like baby Hudson is a… Girl!"

Katie jumped away from Finn and dancing in the small room. "YES! It's a sister! I knew it!"

Rachel tore her eyes away from the perfect baby on the screen to see Finn's reaction. When she saw a tear escape the corner of his eye, she choked back more of her own tears. She was so happy to be having this baby, a girl, but she'd be lying if she said she wasn't worried about how Finn would react. It was no question he would love the baby, but what if he really wanted a boy. Did she disappoint him?

"Looks like we got everything we need. Did you want these printed out?" The doctor replaced the wand and wiped away the excess gel.

"Yes please." Finn answered, still staring at the screen.

"How about you, Big Sister? Would you like a picture of your baby sister too?"

Katie looked at him with wide eyes. "Can I have the one of her toes?"

"You sure can." He clicked a few more buttons and stood, making his way to the door. "I'll be right back with those pictures. See you next month. "

Dr. Thompson barely made it out of the room before Finn kissed Rachel passionately and without warning. When he pulled away, she looked at him with tears in her eyes, dazed. "I love you so much."

She sat up on the edge of the bed, looking up at him through her lashes. "You aren't… You aren't disappointed?"

"What? Why would I be disappointed? Did you see her little toes? They are so beautiful, Rach."

Rachel cautiously looked over at Katie who was waiting by the door. "You didn't want a boy?"

"I wanted a baby, a healthy one. And it looks like we have one." He looked over at Katie and smiled. "I already know what to do with a baby girl. I couldn't be happier. I love you so much."

"I love you, too." They hugged tightly for a minute until the nurse came back holding the black and white photos. "I have your pictures. He said that this one is special for the big sister." The nurse handed the single picture to Katie who just stared at it in awe. "And these are for you two. Just make your next appointment on your way out. Congratulations."

Finn wrapped an arm around Rachel as she stood. "Thank you."

The three of them rode down the elevator while Katie continued to stare at the picture of her sister's toes. "Rachel?"

"Yeah, Sweetie?"

Katie took in a deep breath, never letting her focus shift from the little toes in front of her. "Is my sister going to call you 'Mom?'"

"Um." Rachel looked up at Finn with wide eyes, unsure how to answer. He only shrugged and smiled slightly, encouraging her to answer truthfully. Katie only knew Rachel by her first name. They decided to let her decide when and if she wanted to call her mom, but it had never been explicitly discussed. In her heart though, Rachel wanted her too. "I think she will."

"Is it…" The girl paused, having a hard time finding the words she was looking for. "Do you think… Can I call you 'Mom' too?"

Both Finn and Rachel's eyes filled with tears as soon as she got the words out. Rachel reached out and hugged Katie as tight as she could. "I would like that."

Rachel couldn't believe the family she had found herself in. She had an amazing husband, a wonderfully sweet daughter, and a tiny baby growing inside her that would see more love than any other baby ever.

Finn watched on as the two –well, three- most important people in his life held tight to each other. If you would have told him years ago that eaves dropping during coffee would bring him all this happiness, he's not sure how it could be possible. As he wrapped his arms around his wife and daughter, he knew one thing: he owed Hiram a Leroy a big hug too.

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><p><strong>AN- And there we have it. I really hope you enjoyed this one. I thank you again for keeping your reviews constructive and non-hateful. It means so much to me. I do have other stories in the works, including a one shot that I hope to get out this month. Again, Thank you for everything. Much love. Sara**


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